Box Score
WAYNE , N.J. – The William Paterson men's basketball team (13-7, 4-4 NJAC) overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat Kean (12-8, 3-5 NJAC), 77-73 in overtime, Jan. 27 at the WPU Rec Center.
The Pioneers trailed by as many as 10 (41-51, 12:43) in the second half, and were down by seven (53-60) with 3:55 on the clock. However, William Paterson scored 10 of the next 13 points, capped by
Da-Shawn Dwight's (Newark, N.J./Bloomfield Tech) three-point play with 1:10 on the clock, to tie the score at 63-63. Bryan Keller's (Piscataway. N.J./Piscataway) layup with 49.1 seconds to play gave the Cougars the lead, but he missed the free throw after being fouled, making it a two-point edge (63-65). Freshman
Joseph Ellis (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to nudge the Pioneers ahead (66-65, 0:29). On the next possession, Kean fumbled the ball, but it trickled to the low post and a waiting Steve Koenigstein, who laid it in and was fouled (66-67, 0:17). His free throw made it a two-point lead for the Cougars (66-68). William Paterson had one last chance, and as time expired Kean's Brett Wyatt was whistled for a foul. Senior
Luis Martinez (Passaic, N.J./Clifton) stepped to the line with 0:00 on the clock, calmly making both attempts to send the two teams to overtime.
The Cougars struck first on a Wyatt layup in the overtime's opening seconds, but WPU never trailed again in the extra session. After an Ellis free throw and a Martinez layup made it a three-point edge (74-71, 1:54), Keller again cut into the lead, making two free throws (74-73, 1:35). With 28.3 seconds to play, Keller was whistled for a foul. William Paterson's
Seve Cousins (Paterson, N.J./St. Joseph's) missed both free throws, but he came up with the rebound of the second attempt, prolonging a WPU possession that eventually resulted in a Wyatt foul.
Shawn Colwell (Irvington, N.J./Irvington) made one of his two attempts from the charity stripe (75-73, 0:25), and Ellis later made a pair of foul shots with 5.8 seconds left to ice the victory.
William Paterson lost veterans
Joey Spiegel (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) and
Tim Lucas (Old Bridge, N.J./ Old Bridge) from its backcourt in the final minute of regulation when each fouled out. Cousins and Ellis helped fill the void, making several important plays to allow the Pioneers to come away with the victory.
Ellis led the Pioneers with his season-high 17 points and three steals. Martinez had a double-double with 13 tallies and a game-best 11 rebounds, while Spiegel added 12 points and Dwight had 11. Lamar Wright led Kean with 24 points.
The Pioneers will begin a two-game road swing Wednesday, Jan. 31, at Montclair State at 8:00 p.m.
