WAYNE, N.J. (Jan. 13, 2024) – Senior guard Brianna Smith scored 33 points, including a layup to spark a key six-point run in the fourth quarter, as the William Paterson University women's basketball team outlasted Rutgers University-Camden, 77-71, here Saturday afternoon in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game.
 
The victory lifted the Pioneers to 5-11 overall and 3-6 in the NJAC, snapping a four-game losing streak. Rutgers-Camden fell to 0-16 overall and 0-9 in conference play.
 
A layup by Raptor senior guard Rahzirah Blocker cut Paterson's lead to 65-64 late in the fourth quarter, but Smith followed with a layup and a pair of foul shots as part of a six-point Pioneer run. Although the Scarlet Raptors were able to trim that deficit to 75-71 with 10 seconds remaining on a three-pointer by freshman guard Maniya Simon, Paterson closed out its win with a pair of foul shots.
 
In a tight first half, the Pioneers broke a 38-38 tie with seconds remaining on a three-pointer by junior guard Jade Martinez to take a 41-38 lead at the break. Rutgers-Camden, however, regained the lead early in the third quarter on a layup and a pair of foul shots by Blocker, taking a 42-41 edge only 1:13 into the second half. Smith followed with a layup for the Pioneers, giving them the lead for good, 43-42. It sparked a 10-point run by the Pioneers.
 
Smith shot 11-for-23 from the floor, including 3-for-9 from three-point range, and was 8-for-8 from the foul line on her way to 33 points for the Pioneers. She added eight rebounds and a game-high four steals.
 
Sophomore forward Renee Wells scored 15 points, Martinez netted 11 and sophomore center Patricia Walsh added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds for William Paterson.
 
Blocker notched her season high of 28 points to lead the Scarlet Raptors, hiking her career total to 976. With 24 more points, she will become the 16th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. She also added nine rebounds, a team-high three steals and a game-high two blocked shots, tying her career high for blocks.
 
Freshman forward A'yanna Morton set her career scoring high with 17 points, passing the mark of 16 she had on Nov. 21 at The College of New Jersey. Morton shot 6-for-11 from the floor, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, and went 2-for-2 from the foul line. She added seven rebounds and two assists.
 
Senior guard Jania Pitts and sophomore forward Taja Brown shared game-high honors with 10 rebounds apiece, while adding 12 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Rutgers-Camden shot 23-for-52 (44.2 percent) from the floor and 19-for-25 (76.0) from the foul line. Paterson was 26-for-80 (32.5) from the floor and 19-for-21 (90.5) from the line. Although the Scarlet Raptors held a 47-40 advantage off the boards, Paterson also forced 29 Rutgers-Camden turnovers.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return home Wednesday to entertain The College of New Jersey in a 6 p.m. NJAC game. The game will be part of a Scarlet Raptor Rally doubleheader, with the men's team playing TCNJ at 8 p.m.