Box Score Mahwah, NJ:  The Ramapo College women's basketball team played host to the Pioneers of William Paterson University today in a New Jersey Athletic Conference women's basketball match-up where the Pioneers came out on top, 62-59.  April Smith sank a team-high 29 points leading her team to their 21^st win of the 2011-2012 season.  The Pioneers improve to 10-1 in the conference on Play 4Kay day at the Bradley Center.
 
After an evenly played 39-plus minutes of basketball, Ramapo came within two points with nine seconds left to play with a three-point goal from Lindsey Gripenburg. But a final free throw from BriAnna Lucas to spread the gap to three, and a final missed attempt from Ramapo at the buzzer, gave the Pioneers a three point, 62-59 victory in Mahwah.
 
The Pioneers led by a close, 26-23 score at intermission after shooting a combined 10-31 (32%) from the field behind 14 points from Smith.  Smith went 6-11 including two three-point baskets while Lucas chipped in six points in the half.  It was a tight 20 minutes of play with Ramapo (14-8 overall, 5-6 NJAC) earning their biggest lead (3) at 14:48 and again at 14:17 when Brittany Howes and Faith Flannery netted a two point basket and an and-one play respectively.  William Paterson sunk two straight baskets to earn a one point edge at 12:38 with a jumper from Kierra Walker, a lead they would hold onto for a majority of the remaining clock.  The team's greatest spread came with 4:32 to play when Lucas hit the front end of a two shot foul to go up, 24-19.  Gripenburg led Ramapo with seven points hitting 3-6 while the team combined for seven baskets on 29 attempts hitting 24% from the floor.  Micaela Moore grabbed a team high seven boards for Ramapo and Smith pulled down six for the Pioneers.
 
William Paterson held a slight edge at the start of the half before Moore gave Ramapo a one-point lead, 33-32, with a jump shot at 15:09.  Smith (2) and Floriana Borova (3) responded hitting back-to-back baskets to earn a 39-34 lead with 11:40 left to play before   Flannery sunk two free throws to come within three, 36-39. Smith sparked a 7-0 run, capped off by a steal and basket from Kierra Walker giving the Pioneers a 46-36 lead with just under ten minutes to go.  Ramapo spent the next three plus minutes closing the gap after a jump shot from Howes put Ramapo within four, 44-48 with 6:31 to play but in the next three minutes, William Paterson out scored Ramapo, 10-4 earning a 58-48 lead with 3:06 on the clock.  With the efforts of four different Roadrunners, Ramapo closed the gap to two points, 59-61 capped off with a three-point basket from Gripenburg, but a good free throw from Lucas and a missed attempt from Ramapo closed out the game with the Pioneers on top, 62-59.  Smith sunk 15 of her 29 points in the final half of play as the team went 12-25 (48%) from the floor.  Dana Jeter pulled down six boards and Lucas grabbed two steals.  Ramapo went 11-30 (38%) with Ryan sinking a team leading eight.

Smith led the Pioneers shooting 11-17 for 29 points.  She grabbed 11 boards for the double-double.  Jeter pulled down 11 boards of her own and the team went 22-56 from the floor shooting 39% in the game.  Gripenburg led Ramapo with 12 points and Ryan chipped in ten while the team hit 18-59 (31%).  Moore pulled down a team high eight rebounds while netting nine points of her own.
 
The Roadrunners return to action on Wednesday, February 8^th when they travel to St. Elizabeth for a 7:30pm tip.  William Paterson takes on Rutgers Newark on Wednesday at 6:00pm in Newark.

Special thanks to all those who contributed to Play 4Kay in support of breast cancer awareness.



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