WAYNE, N.J. (Feb. 9, 2022) – The William Paterson University women's basketball team raced to a 22-point halftime lead and went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 65-50, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Wednesday night.
 
The win lifted the Pioneers to 11-9 overall and 10-6 in the NJAC, while the Scarlet Raptors fell to 2-15 and 1-15.
 
William Paterson scored the first four points of the game, but the next five were tallied by Scarlet Raptor junior forward Salina Jones. Her jumper gave the Raptors their lone lead of the game at 5-4. Paterson took the lead for good at 6-5 on a jumper by freshman guard Victoria Palladino 2:32 into the game.
 
Palladino's field goal kicked off an 11-point run that lifted the Pioneers from a one-point deficit to a 15-5 lead. The Scarlet Raptors broke that run on a foul shot by sophomore forward Carleigh Galasso, but the Pioneers grabbed an 18-6 lead before the end of the quarter.
 
By halftime, the Pioneers owned a 36-14 lead and had seven players in the scoring column, led by eight points from junior guard Yakira Rosa. Jones had five of the Scarlet Raptors' 14 points, while Galasso had four.
 
Rosa finished with 16 points and four steals to lead William Paterson, while junior guard Precious Allah and senior forward/guard Brianna Brooks both added 10 points. Brooks collected nine rebounds and three steals, while Allah had seven boards and five assists.
 
Rutgers-Camden received 14 points from junior guard/forward Jalissa Pitts, while a pair of guards, sophomore Jania Pitts and freshman Rahzirah Blocker, added 10 points apiece. Blocker added five steals.
 
Jones and Galasso both finished with eight points, with Galasso pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds.
 
Paterson held a 37-35 edge off the boards and forced 24 Raptor turnovers.
 
The Pioneers shot 23-for-58 (39.7 percent) from the field and 13-for-18 (72.2) from the foul line. Rutgers-Camden shot 18-for-50 (36.0) and 10-for-15 (66.7), respectively.
 
Rutgers-Camden returns to Camden for its final home game of the season on Saturday. The Scarlet Raptors will host Kean University at 1 p.m. and celebrate Senior Day for co-captain Breanna Ettrick.