WAYNE, NJ…William Paterson University received 14 points from freshman guard Michelle Pellichero (Milltown, NJ/Bishop Ahr) and 10 each from sophomore guard Luci Custis (Roselle, NJ/Abraham Clark), sophomore forward Melissa Moore (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen), and freshman forward Sheakia Jackson (Newton, NJ/Newton), as the Pioneers defeated New Jersey City University, 67-47, in a non-conference game at the Rec Center. The Pioneers (1-3) earn their first win of the season, while NJCU falls to 1-2.
Pellichero hit 5-of-8 shots, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, and added four rebounds and three assists. She committed eight of WPU’s 18 turnovers. Jackson equaled a game-high with eight rebounds, seven on the offensive glass, and swiped four steals in 18 minutes off the bench.
Custis hit 3-of-6 from the field, with six rebounds and three assists, while Moore chipped in five rebounds (four offensive) while hitting 4-of-8 shots.
Junior power forward MEGAN KABBA (Newark, NJ/Arts) was NJCU’s top scorer, notching 13 points (6-of-11) in 23 minutes. Freshman center ARNESE GOODMAN (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln), added nine points and matched the game-high with eight rebounds (seven defensive). She played 30 minutes while making her first career start. Freshman center TIFFANY BOYD (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) had eight points and three blocks.
A 12-12 first half tie became a 24-16 edge for the Pioneers, as WPU went on a 12-4 run, capped by a Pellichero trey. With the score 27-22, the Pioneers opened up a 10-point half-time advantage by ending the first period on a 5-0 run.
That streak extended to 18-3, when WPU began the second stanza on a 13-3 spurt. The Pioneers largest lead was 24 with 7:16 remaining in the second half, following a steal and fast-break basket by Jackson.
NJCU actually outshot the Pioneers. The Gothic Knights hit 37.0 percent of their shots (20-of-54), versus 21-of-62, 33.9 percent for WPU. However, the Pioneers out-rebounded NJCU, 48-36, including 23-13 on the offensive glass, and equated that into 14 second-chance points. The Knights also committed 26 turnovers, which led to a 24-8 margin for WPU in points off turnovers.
NJCU next sees action on Thursday, December 2 at 7pm with a Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Farmingdale State University.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
