Jan 17, 2026
CAMDEN, N.J. – The No. RV/21 William Paterson women's basketball team (15-1, 9-0 NJAC) rolled to a 77-54 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) win at Rutgers-Camden (8-8, 5-4 NJAC) Jan. 17.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Pioneers trailed 4-0 early in the opening quarter before outscoring the Scarlet Raptors, 25-6, over a stretch of 8:40 to go ahead by 15 (25-10) with 9:28 on the clock in the second frame.
- During that run, WP shot 10-of-16 (.625) from the field with seniors Renee Wells and Patty Walsh combining for 14 points.
- WP continued to extend its lead and a layup by Wells to open the third quarter put the Pioneers on top by 20 (44-24).
- A 17-4 Pioneer run to begin the fourth quarter pushed the advantage to 34 (75-41) with 4:42 remaining in the game before WP went on to secure the 77-54 conference road win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Wells recorded a game-high 19 points on 8-of-12 (.667) shooting with five assists and three rebounds.
- Junior Mattison Chiera shot 5-for-9 (.556) from the field for 14 points to go along with six boards.
- Walsh logged 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds.
- Sophomore Kaelyn Gowdy tallied 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
- Sophomore Leilani Pinder chipped in with eight points on 3-of-4 (.750) shooting.
- The Pioneers improved to 9-0 in conference play, marking the program's best start to NJAC action since the 1997-98 team went 16-0 before dropping its first contest.
- William Paterson is ranked 21st in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Poll and received votes in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson will take on The College of New Jersey Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 5:30 p.m. at the Sports and Recreation Center.
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