WAYNE, N.J. - Senior forward Leana Heitmann (East Syracuse, N.Y) racked up a double-double with game-highs of 22 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks but the Western Connecticut State University women's basketball team saw its rally fall short at non-conference foe William Paterson, 56-51. Trailing by 13 heading into the final quarter, the Wolves sliced the deficit to just three points with 19 seconds left but were unable to complete the comeback.

Senior guard Malaysia Dingle (Brockton, Mass.) joined Heitmann in double figures with 10 points, while classmate forward Sara Macary (Naugatuck, Conn.) chipped in with nine. Renee Wells paced the Pioneers with 16 points while Patty Walsh and Mattison Chiera finished with 10 apiece.

The hosts took the early lead and would hold an 18-9 advantage at the end of the opening quarter when Kaelyn Gowdy stole the ball and found Wells for a layup just before time expired. WestConn stormed back in the second stanza. The Pioneers connected on a trifecta to extend the lead to 12 before the Wolves surged to cut the gap to 24-23 at halftime. Macary put the finishing touches on the run when she sank a pair from the stripe. 

The teams continued to trade quarter barrages in the second half. WestConn trimmed the lead to just one before the Pioneers retaliated with yet another run. They would not relenquish the lead and moved ahead 45-32 heading into the final period. Dingle sparked the rally with a layup before Heitmann nailed a midrange jumper to knock the advantage down to single digits. Shortly thereafter, she connected on the back end of a pair of free throws to make it 54-51. The Wolves attempted a quick steal but were forced to foul with 19 seconds remaining. Wells connected on her second attempt to stretch it to four. The visitors drove the lane and attempted a kickout pass for a three-point try but the hosts stole the ball and put an end to the comeback.

With the loss, WestConn dropped to 2-2 overall while William Paterson improved to 3-0. The Wolves will look to pierce the win column once again when they square off against NESCAC nemesis Trinity College on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.