The William Paterson Pioneers will look to extend their winning streak to nine games Saturday when they travel to Glassboro, N.J., to face Rowan University in a matchup of two teams playing strong basketball.
William Paterson enters the contest following an 87-69 home victory over rival Montclair State. Rowan also carries momentum after an 80-73 double-overtime home win against Rutgers-Camden and enters the matchup riding a four-game winning streak.
For the Pioneers, defensive consistency will be a key factor. Star forward Renee Wells emphasized the importance of maintaining pressure on the defensive end.
“I think continuing our intense defense, you know, pressuring their guards, getting them to turn the ball over like we have been. The Pioneers’ big players are performing very well against the opposing forwards,” Wells said.
The teams last met Dec. 13, when William Paterson secured a decisive 76-44 victory. Despite the dominant performance, Wells had an underwhelming offensive outing, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
Wells said avoiding a repeat of that performance will be about decision-making and adjustments.
“I think I just need to play a little bit smarter, you know. Not forcing shots; I have my teammates that I can distribute to. Just know that they’re going to have a scouting report against me. And if they come out a certain way that I need to adjust to that instead of just continuing something that’s not working,” Wells said.
In the previous meeting, the Pioneers held Rowan to a combined 14 points in the second and third quarters. Wells pointed to interior defense and perimeter pressure as elements that can carry over into Saturday’s matchup.
“Yeah, Patty Walsh, our starting big, did a very good job on their big. I think she’s like 6’3. So she held her to, I think, maybe around six points under her average. And then our guards do a very good job of hounding their guards and pressuring them. People can’t handle that pressure right now. So just continuing that and our chemistry on defense, our good rotations, and our talking,” Wells said.
A key figure in Rowan’s offense is senior guard Jess McLaughlin, who leads the Profs in total assists and assists per game. McLaughlin plays a central role in Rowan’s pick-and-roll offense, but the Pioneers disrupted that action in the previous meeting, holding her to zero assists and forcing two turnovers.
Limiting McLaughlin’s playmaking ability will again be a priority.
“Those pick and rolls, we really like to hard hedge that screen. You know, it causes a lot of disruption, and then we have our backside to come over and help if that big tries to roll. But like I said, again, our guards—Jada, Maddie, and Luna—do a very good job of containing the best players of each team,” Wells said.
While William Paterson enters the matchup as the favorite on paper, maintaining focus will be critical. A surging Rowan team remains capable of capitalizing on mistakes and splitting the season series.
