Wayne, N.J. (February 23, 2011) – The Montclair State women's basketball team was topped by William Paterson 79-68 in the NJAC Tournament Semifinals.

The Red Hawks close out the year with a 14-13 mark while William Paterson improves to 23-3 and will face Rutgers-Newark in the NJAC Championship Game.

KISANDRA AYANBEKU's layup at 15:58 brought MSU to within three at 9-6 but a 13-2 Pioneer spurt over the next three minutes extended their lead to double figures. The Pioneers stayed hot, and a pair of free throws by Lindsey Callender pushed the score to 44-13 with just over five minutes to play in the half. Montclair State battled back, closing the first half on a 15-3 run, limiting WPU to made field goal over the final 5:32.

The Pioneers held a 23-15 edge in rebounds, including a 12-3 advantage on the offensive glass over the first 20 minutes.
A three-pointer by MICHELLE MONTAGNA trimmed the deficit to 10 with 16:16 left and just over 10 minutes later Sara Kelley connected from deep to bring the gap to nine. Each team went cold over the next three minutes before Floriana Borova and Brianna Lucas hit free throws down the stretch to cement the win.

Ayanbeku led MSU with 17 points and eight boards, while Kelley came off the bench to add 12 tallies. ALYSSA JOHNSON snared eight rebounds and recorded four points in the setback. Lucas led all scorers with 29 points while April Smith posted a double-double of 18 points and 13 caroms.