WAYNE, N.J. – Sophomore forward April Smith (Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional) had season-best totals of 24 points and 19 rebounds as the William Paterson women's basketball team (12-4, 4-0 NJAC) steadily built a double-digit second-half lead, pulling away from Ramapo (6-9, 1-4 NJAC) for a 72-54 victory Jan. 14 at the Pioneers' Rec Center.

A 12-2 run midway through the first half helped to push the Pioneers ahead by 12 at 24-12 (9:25), but a pesky Roadrunner team kept attacking and scored the game's next nine points to pull within three at 24-21 with 6:09 remaining. An Erin Cook (Princeton, N.J./Princeton) three-pointer and an Absatu Mustapha (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) free throw again made it a three-possession game (28-21, 4:39), but Ramapo ended the half with a 10-3 burst, capped by Lindsey Gripenburg's (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) jumper with 38 seconds on the clock, for a 33-33 halftime score.

Despite being out-rebounded on the offensive glass 9-1 during the opening period, Ramapo took advantage of its limited opportunities, shooting 11-for-19 (.579) from the floor and 10-for-11 (.909) from the free-throw line during the first half. Conversely, William Paterson shot just 34.4 (11-32) percent from the field, 50.0 (6-12) percent from the line and 38.5 (5-13) percent from beyond the arc.

The Roadrunners scored the first field goal of the second period, but William Paterson notched the next 10 points, building a 43-35 advantage at the 14:43 mark. The Pioneer defense then held Ramapo to just five points during the next six minutes, as the Roadrunners were 1-for-8 from the floor with four turnovers during the stretch for a 55-40 WP lead with 8:41 remaining. After red-hot shooting during the first half, Ramapo was just 5-for-26 (.192) during the second stanza.

Smith posted 17 of her points and 12 of her rebounds during the second half. Junior guard Julie Haledjian (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills) finished with 17 tallies and five assists, and Cook scored 10 points to go along with five boards. For the game, William Paterson owned a 46-35 advantage on the glass (23-8 offensive), and 27 of its points came from second-chance opportunities.

Sophomore Stephanie Cannizzaro (Pequannock, N.J./Pequannock) and junior Beth Weinmann (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock) each collected 12 points and eight rebounds for the Roadrunners. Senior Tiffany China (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) chipped in nine tallies and seven boards.

William Paterson will play at Rutgers-Camden Saturday, Jan. 17, at 3:00 p.m., while the Roadrunners will host Rowan Jan. 17 at 1:00 p.m.