WAYNE, N.J. – Depending on their trademark stingy defense, the Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team defeated #18/19 William Paterson in non-conference action on Saturday, 60-44. The Knights are now 7-2 overall, while the Pioneers dropped to 7-2.

Each school had gone a week without a game due to final exams, and the resultant cold shooting and bevy of turnovers saw the two teams combine for just 12 points midway through the first half (8-4, 10:44, William Paterson). Neither team scored for a four-minute stretch early in the opening period, and the Pioneers and Knights entered the locker room tied at 23-23 after 17-for-55 (.309) shooting and 22 turnovers total between the two clubs.

The score was still tied (38-38) as the clock ticked under the seven minute mark in the second half. The Knights took control for good when sophomore Charneice McCullough (Wyandanch, N.Y.) nailed a three-pointer to kick off an 11-0 run for the visitors. After an old-fashioned three-point play from junior Jen Mocanu (Belford, N.J.) at the 5:56 mark, McCullough hit another triple with 4:31 to play to give the Knights a 49-38 advantage. The Mount closed the game on a 22-6 run to earn the sixteen-point victory.

The Knights limited the Pioneers to just 26.4-percent from the field and 4-of-15 from behind the arc. William Paterson also committed 25 turnovers which resulted in 25 points for the Mount.

McCullough scored all 12 of her points in the second, connecting on the two game-changing triples and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. The sophomore also dished out four assists and nabbed four steals. Senior Jess Tice (Altamont, N.Y.) and junior Beth Deer (Guilderland, N.Y.) also pitched in with 12 points each. Tice added seven boards and three blocks.

For William Paterson, junior BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J.) scored a game-high 17 points. Sophomore Tatiana Javis (Newark, N.J.) added 10 points off the bench, while freshman Jewell Palmer (Woodbrige, N.J.) pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. The Pioneers leading scorer, junior April Smith (Barnegat, N.J.), was limited to just one point and 0-for-13 from the field. Smith entered the contest averaging 21.4 points per game.

The Knights close the first semester with a Skyline Conference game at Yeshiva University on Sunday. The tip is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.