NEWARK, N.J. – The starting five for the William Paterson women's basketball team (9-4, 4-2 NJAC) combined to score 58 points as the Pioneers cruised to an 81-55 road New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victory over Rutgers-Newark (3-9, 1-4 NJAC) on Jan. 4.  

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Scarlet Raiders held a 23-18 advantage with 8:37 remaining in the first half before rookie Renee Wells buried a triple that sparked a 26-5 William Paterson run. During that stretch, the Pioneers shot 10-of-13 (.769) from the floor and 3-of-4 (.750) from deep while limiting Rutgers-Newark to just two made baskets.
• The second-quarter run gave the Pioneers a 16-point lead (44-28) entering the half and the advantage continued to grow as William Paterson opened the third quarter by outscoring the Scarlet Raiders, 16-2. The run lasted over nearly a seven-minute stretch and built the Pioneers' lead to 30 (60-30) before they eventually secured the conference win.   

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Junior Brianna Smith logged her third 20-point game of the season after finishing with 21 in the scoring column.
• She went a flawless 10-of-10 (1.000) from the foul line.
• Wells extended her double-digit scoring streak to four games after recording 14 points to go along with three rebounds and three steals.
• Senior Justina Cabezas posted a 14-point performance and tallied five boards and three steals.
• Sophomore Jade Martinez matched her career-high scoring output with 10 points.
• Sophomore Victoria Palladino reeled in a team-high eight boards and dished out four assists.
• Senior Yakira Rosa recorded eight points and seven rebounds.
• Nine different Pioneers tallied a point against Rutgers-Newark.

UP NEXT:

• The Pioneers return to the Sports and Recreation Center on Saturday, Jan. 7, to host The College of New Jersey for a 1:00 p.m. NJAC tilt.