Montclair, NJ (12/01/04) - Sophomore guard Luci Custis tallied a game-high 23 points and added a team-best eight rebounds and three assists as William Paterson University rebounded for a 59-54 victory on Wednesday night over host Montclair State University in NCAA Division III women's basketball action at Panzer Gymnasium.

WPU, which won its second straight contest after opening with three losses, improves to 2-3 on the year and 1-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, while MSU falls to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the NJAC.

Freshman guard Michele Pellichero collected 13 points for the visiting Pioneers, while classmate Lauren Miller added 11 points. WPU got 21 points from its bench and scored 20 points off turnovers on the night, despite shooting just under 38 percent from the field.

Sophomore forward STEPHANIE MACHIN led the host Red Hawks with 12 points, while junior forward AMANDA MULLANEY tallied 10 points along with eight rebounds. Freshman guard JESSICA GARRABRANT led MSU with nine rebounds and added eight points and a game-high four steals.

Montclair took a 28-25 halftime lead, and led by a 44-40 count with 7:43 remaining in regulation. WPU forged a 44-all tie with 6:49 left, and the teams went back and forth for the next three minutes until the Pioneers grabbed the lead for good on a lay-up by sophomore forward Lindsey Krenza with 2:59 left to make it 50-49.

Miller then connected on a jumper with 1:47 remaining to make it 52-49, and the Pioneers held on the rest of the way in recording their second straight win over MSU dating back to last season.

The Red Hawks shot just 30 percent from the field in the second half tonight (9-30), and suffered two three-minute stretches without scoring a point in falling for the second time this season.

The two teams will meet again at William Paterson on Jan. 26, 2005. Montclair State now returns to conference action at home on Saturday against Rutgers-Newark at 1:00 p.m., while WPU hosts Richard Stockton College that day at 3:00 p.m. in Wayne.