Wayne, NJ (Nov. 15, 2023) - Kayla Williams scored a career-high 26 points to lead Alvernia University (3-1) to a 68-67 comeback win over William Paterson (1-1) on Wednesday night in non-conference women's basketball action at William Paterson.

Alvernia trailed by ten at the half before a 13-0 run to start the second half ignited a comeback for the Golden Wolves.

Alvernia and the Pioneers went back and forth throughout the fourth quarter until a 3-point play by Williams and a layup by Kylie Bradford put Alvernia on top, 67-63, with 1:12 to go. William Paterson tied it up at 67-67 with 21 seconds to go, but the Pioneers committed a foul with one second to go to send Williams to the line with little time left on the clock. Williams then sealed a career-night with the game-winning free throw followed by a game-sealing block on the Pioneer's final shot attempt at the buzzer.

The Pioneers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the early minutes of the game, but Alvernia got on the board with a Williams layup two and a half minutes in and took a 5-4 lead on a Williams 3-pointer 30 seconds later. A jumper from Jordan Karmonick made it a 7-4 game and Alvernia continued to hold the three point lead, 9-6, as quarter approached the halfway point following a Tamia Wessels jumper. 

The Pioneers then tied it on a 3-pointer, but Alvernia retook the lead, 12-9, on a Karmonick free throw and Williams jumper. Jordyn Ingelido then came in off the bench and scored a quick five for Alvernia to give the Golden Wolves a 17-12 lead with 1:29 to play in the quarter. But, the Pioneers scored the final five of the half to make it a 17-17 game going into the second frame.

The Pioneers scored five more to open the second quarter and take a 22-17 lead through one minute of action. But, a Williams 3-pointer put an end to the quick run and brought Alvernia back within two, 22-20. But, Alvernia was held without a field goal for the next nearly five minutes as the Pioneers took a 28-22 lead. A 3-pointer by Taliyah Malone ended the scoreless drought for the Golden Wolves, but the Pioneers went back up by five, 30-25, on their next possession. William Paterson went on to end the first half on a 10-5 run to take a 40-30 lead into the break.

Alvernia came out of the break on fire, going on a 13-0 run over the opening 3:19 to take a 43-40 lead. The run was ignited by a Malone 3-pointer and capped off by a layup and an and-one free throw from Williams.

William Paterson retook the lead with a free throw and a 3-pointer over the next minute and the two teams traded the lead until a Karmonick jumper and a 3-pointer from Wessels gave Alvernia the 54-50 advantage going into the final ten minutes.

The Pioneers tied it up at 54-54 with the opening four points of the fourth quarter and took a 58-54 lead with 7:19 to play after Alvernia struggled to find its rhythm in the opening minutes of the fourth. Alvernia got on the board with a layup from Williams with seven minutes to play and took a 59-58 lead with 5:28 to play following a layup from Wessels.

Another layup from Wessels made it a 61-58 game in favor of the Golden Wolves with 4:49 to play, but the Pioneers hung in it and retook the lead, 63-61, with 3:24 to play. The back and forth continued until a 3-point play by Williams and a layup by Bradford put Alvernia on top, 67-63, with 1:12 to go.

The Pioneers hit two free throws and then forced an Alvernia turnover before tying it up at 67-67 with 23 seconds to play. The Pioneers nearly forced overtime until they fouled Williams with one second on the clock. Williams hit one of two free throw attempts to take a 68-67 lead. But, the Pioneers came down with the board and called a timeout with .7 seconds on the clock. They advanced the ball and inbounded it to under the net. As time expired and the Pioneers threw up a layup, Williams capped off her career-night by blocking the shot as the buzzer sounded.

Williams scored a career-high 26 points, surpassing her previous career best of 23 points. She made it a double-double with 11 boards and also finished with five assists and four blocks. Wessels finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. Karmonick finished with five points and a team-high eight assists.