DANBURY, Conn. – Senior guard Julie Rovito (Ridgefield Park, N.J.) scored a game-high 19 points in 23 minutes off the bench to lead the William Paterson University women's basketball team to a 69-54 victory over Bridgewater State University in the consolation game of the Hat City Tournament hosted by Western Connecticut State University on Sunday afternoon at Feldman Arena.
The Pioneers improve to 6-7 on the season with the win, while the Bears fall to 3-8.
Rovito connected on 8 of 17 field goal attempts and also notched five rebounds, two assists, a pair of steals and a blocked shot. Sophomore forward Ema Jacketti (Beacon, N.Y.) posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench for the Pioneers. Seven of Jacketti's 14 boards came off the offensive glass.
The William Paterson bench outscored the Bridgewater State reserves by a margin of 39-19.
Senior guard Olivia DelGrosso (Ledyard, Conn.) paced the Bears with 17 points as she went 10-for-12 at the free throw line. DelGrosso garnered All-Tournament honors as she averaged 18.5 points during the tournament.
Senior guard Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, Mass.) added eight points for Bridgewater State while classmate Danielle Arcidiacono (Bellingham, Mass.) tallied seven points in nine minutes off the bench.
Clinging to a 34-31 early in the third quarter, William Paterson used an 11-1 run to open up a 13-point advantage (45-32). Rovito started the run with a layup and capped it off with a three-pointer.
The Pioneers maintained a lead of at least seven points the rest of the way and got up by as many as 16 (69-53) late in the fourth quarter.
William Paterson shot 38% (27-71) form the floor, 36% (5-14) from three-point range and finished 10-for-14 (71%) at the free throw line. The Pioneers dominated the boards outrebounding the Bears by a decided margin of 50-34 including a 22-8 edge on the offensive glass which led to a 19-2 advantage in second chance points.
Bridgewater State connected on 29% (14-49) of its field goal attempts and knocked down 6 of 19 (32%) three-pointers. The Bears shot well at the line converting 20 of 26 (77%) free throw attempts.
In upcoming action, the Bears travel to UMass Boston on Thursday evening for a 5:30 non-conference game with the Beacons. The Pioneers head to New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Kean University on Saturday afternoon to take on the Cougars at three.