After clinching a win against NJCU on Saturday, Feb. 22. William Paterson advanced to the NJAC semifinals against Montclair State University at the Puntzer Stadium for Athletics.
Moments before the game, the team had an electric huddle.
Alyssa Craigwell of Montclair wins the tip, and the NJAC semifinal is officially underway.
Both sides were energetic early on, but the Pioneers scored first with a Brianna Smith pass inside to Patty Walsh.
The Redhawks and the Pioneers pressed early, neither team getting separation
The two teams went back and forth all quarter, with constant baskets by Craigwell and Smith creating a slight lead of 9-8 in favor of Montclair.
In the middle of the first quarter, Jade Martinez subbed into takeout Jada Jacobs, right away making an impact. The 5’1 Senior Guard out of Ridgefield Park blocked Redhawk Melvina Sullivan, and the crowd erupted.
With one minute and 33 seconds left in the first quarter, the Pioneers were down 11-8. The quarter ended with Montclair leading 16-10, with a layup bringing them from 14 to 16 in the last seconds of the quarter.
At the end of one, the Redhawks shot 7-18 and outrebounded the Pioneers by 8.
Before the second quarter, we overheard Coach Monahan telling the team to “Be physical, be physical!”
To start the second quarter, Montclair State Forward Alyssa Craigwell, made a layup, taking MSU to 18 points.
Seconds later, Craigwell makes a three-pointer, giving Montclair an eleven-point lead (21-10).
With seven minutes and 39 seconds left in the quarter, the Pioneers wasted the shot clock as Brianna Smith rushed a shot beyond the arc, ultimately not connecting.
Then, Montclair’s Brianna Montajes made a layup bringing them to 23, while William Paterson remained stagnant at 10.
Moments later, Smith gave the offense some light, poking the ball free with under five minutes left, cutting the deficit down to 9.
Alyssa Craigwell made a layup moments later, bringing Montclair’s total to 25–leaving William Paterson an eleven-point deficit. Then, Olivia Vero makes another layup taking them to 27 and making the deficit larger. Followed by another layup–Montclair is now at 29, a 15-point lead.
With two minutes and 28 seconds left in the quarter, WP’s Brianna Smith connects on a three-pointer. Bringing the Pioneers to 17, followed by a layup by Renee Wells–WP is at 19.
About 20 seconds later, Jada Jacobs grabs an offensive rebound, giving WP another two points.
Moments before halftime, Pioneer fans were heard shouting at the refs, “Call that!” over a controversial trip. Montclair’s Shannon Hughes made a left-handed layup as time expired as the Redhawks were up 12 at the midway mark.
At halftime, the Redhawks are 15-35 from the field, collecting 26 rebounds and 6 steals, compared to the Pioneers’ 9-31 from the field, 16 rebounds, and 4 steals.
The third quarter had a relatively slow start, compared to the first and second. Until Alyssa Craigwell made a left-hand layup. Then, Brianna Smith made a swift layup, bringing the Pioneers total to 23. Moments later, she makes another–underhand–layup, making it 39-26, after an and-one with seven minutes left in the quarter.
The Pioneers continued to battle. Renee Wells hit a mid-range shot and made it 46-35. Later in the quarter, Wells got fouled by Craigwell, and a loud smack was heard around the gym. She converted 1, and it’s a 10-point game.
With 1:55 left in the quarter, Walsh makes a 15-footer. Now an 8-point game!
Walsh plays aggressive defense on Redhawk Guard Isabella Orlando, blocking her shot, leaving a second on the shot clock, and then forcing a shot-clock violation.
With 20 seconds left in the quarter, Patty Walsh fell, muting WP fans in the stand. Seconds later, she gave us a thumbs-up, and the crowd cheered and clapped for her.
The Pioneers continue to excel, outscoring Montclair 19-14 in the third quarter, shooting 8-15 compared to the Redhawks 5-14.
The 4th quarter started with Montclair obtaining the ball. Craigwell and Smith collided with one another early, forcing Craigwell to miss some critical play
The rest of the game was back-and-forth. There were sprouts where the Pioneers gained momentum and where the Redhawks got hot. Unfortunately, the Pioneers couldn’t get ahead.
From the 1:52 to 1:11 mark, the Pioneers couldn’t get the ball in the basket but obtained rebounds. After five attempts, Walsh finally made a layup from the right side, the ultimate dagger for the Pioneers’ season.
The game’s final score was 67-54. Shannon Hughes hit a top-of-key three-pointer to extend the lead to 13, ultimately disrespecting the Pioneers.
For the Pioneers, Patty Walsh had a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Brianna Smith had 12 points.
On the winning side of things, Alyssa Craigwell had 27 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 3 steals. Olivia Vero put up 17 points and added 14 rebounds.
Unfortunately, this ended the careers of many seniors, such as Smith and fellow guards Victoria Palladino and Jade Martinez, who both saw significant time throughout the season and NJAC playoffs.
The future is bright in Wayne with Walsh, Wells, Jacobs, and Sophomore guard Mattison Chiera returning next season. Hopefully, this is a stepping stone in Coach Monahan and crew’s quest for an NJAC championship.
Montclair State will face TCNJ at Packer Hall on Mar. 1. to qualify for the NCAA DIII national tournament.
