JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University committed 17 first half turnovers and William Paterson University turned that into a 22-2 margin in points off giveaways in the opening 20 minutes when the Pioneers opened a 33-17 halftime margin and defeated NJCU, 64-47, in New Jersey Athletic Conference women's basketball action on December 2. The game was the 2015-16 home opener for the Gothic Knights at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).
 
William Paterson dominated the glass, owning the rebounding battle, 48-27, including 22-5 on the offensive glass where the Pioneers held an 18-2 advantage in second chance scoring.
 
The loss for NJCU (1-4, 0-2 NJAC) spoiled a game-high 16 points (7-13 FG) by senior forward Deseree Johnson (Red Bank, NJ/Monmouth Regional). She scored 10 of her 16 in the second half.
 
William Paterson (4-2, 2-0 NJAC) scored 16 more points in the paint (36-20) and had a bigger contribution from its bench (34-22). While only one player scored in double figures for the Pioneers, 15 players saw at least five minutes of action—with 13 reaching the scoring column.
 
Senior forward Alex Milne (Howell, NJ/Howell) scored all 12 of her team-high in the first half and she had seven of her nine rebounds in the opening two periods. She added four assists and three steals to pace the Pioneers. Junior guard Nikole Williams (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream Central) had eight points, five rebounds and three steals.
 
Junior guard Jazz Randall (Parsippany, NJ/West Orange) played banged up yet finished in double figures with 10 points (6-6 FT) and four assists.
 
William Paterson scored the first eight points of the game and led 14-2 before NJCU scored the final six of the period and trailed 14-8. But WP began pulling away in the second quarter, outscoring the Knights, 19-9. The Pioneers owned a 22-6 edge in points in the paint in the opening half and had a 14-3 differential in offensive rebounding. WP had a 9-2 margin in second chance scoring in the half and only committed six turnovers.
 
In a game that saw 49 combined turnovers, WP gave the ball away 16 times in the second half compared to just 10 for the hosts. However despite a fairly even game on the scoreboard the remainder of the contest—WP had a 15-14 edge in the third quarter and each team scored 16 in the fourth—the deficit was too much to overcome.  
 
#KnightNotes:

• William Paterson leads the all-time series, 57-10

 
What's Next?:
NJCU hits the road on Saturday, December 5 at 1 p.m. when the Gothic Knights head to Glassboro, NJ for an NJAC game with Rowan University (5-0, 1-0 NJAC). Rowan leads the all-time series, 42-12. It will be the 55th meeting between the schools. Rowan won the last meeting in Glassboro on January 31, 2015, 65-51. Follow live stats (http://sidearmstats.com/rowan/wbball/).