Box Score PATERSON, N.J. – The William Paterson University women's basketball team grabbed an 11-point halftime lead and then scored the first 15 points of the second half as it defeated Rutgers University-Camden, 88-47, here Saturday in the New Jersey Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
The Pioneers improve to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the NJAC, while the Scarlet Raptors fall to 1-3 and 0-1.
Rutgers-Camden took an early 7-2 lead, led by five points from senior guard
Alex Gravinese (Audubon, NJ/Audubon), before the Pioneers rattled off 15 straight points to take the lead for good. By halftime, the Pioneers held a 38-27 lead, led by a balanced attack that placed seven players in the scoring column. Freshman guard
Julie Rovito (Ridgefield Park, NJ/Ridgefield Park) paced Paterson with eight first-half points.
The Scarlet Raptors received eight points from junior guard
Krystle Cook (Philadelphia, PA/Girard College) and seven points and nine rebounds from freshman center/forward
Michelle Obasi (Camden, NJ/Camden Catholic) in the opening half. Gravinese added five points.
Paterson put the game out of reach early in the second half, opening up a 53-27 lead by scoring the first 15 points of the half. Paterson went on to win its 17th straight game against Rutgers-Camden and increase its all-time series lead to 48-9.
Rovito finished with game-high totals of 17 points and five steals. Freshman guard
Jackie Rodriguez (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) added 16 points for the Pioneers, while junior guard
Brittany Harden (Millville, NJ/Sacred Heart) notched 13 points.
Cook tallied 12 points to lead the Scarlet Raptors, while Obasi and Gravinese added eight points apiece. Obasi also had a game-high 13 rebounds and senior guard/forward
Irene Grimanis (Brooklawn, NJ/Gloucester) collected 10 rebounds and a team-high three steals.
The Scarlet Raptors shot only 24.5 percent (13-for-53) from the floor in the game, while the Pioneers shot 48.4 percent (31-for-64). The Raptors held a 46-42 edge off the boards, but made 36 turnovers to the Pioneers' 17.
The Scarlet Raptors return to action Tuesday when they host The College of New Jersey in an 8 p.m. NJAC game.
