No. 9 WPU Eases Past Tufts, 79-57

Joey Spiegel had 16 points and eight rebounds in the victory against Tufts.

WAYNE, N.J. – The No. 9 William Paterson men's basketball team (10-2) built an early lead and never looked back, easing past Tufts (7-3) 79-57 Jan. 4 at the WPU Rec Center.

The Pioneers led by as many as 17 (29-12, 7:17) in the first half, thanks in part to a cold shooting effort from the Jumbos. Tufts missed eight consecutive field-goal attempts and turned the ball over three times during a six-minute stretch, resulting in a 13 unanswered points for WPU that turned a one-point deficit (8-9, 16:08) into a 21-9 lead (10:25). William Paterson entered the locker room with a 36-26 advantage, and that lead never dipped below nine in the second half.

William Paterson, the nation's second-best defensive team entering the week (53.4 ppg), held Tufts to a season-low 57 tallies. The Jumbos, whose previous low came in a 70-62 victory against Western New England Nov. 21, were averaging 87.2 points per game this season.

Senior All-American Luis Martinez (Passaic, N.J./Clifton) posted a double-double with his game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds. Junior Joey Spiegel (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) had 16 points and eight rebounds, while classmate Larry Leverett (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) added 10 tallies. Jake Weitzman led Tufts with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

William Paterson is ranked ninth in this week's d3hoops.com National Top 25 Poll (Jan. 3). Tufts received 20 votes on the same list (36 th).

The Pioneers will start a two-game road swing Saturday, Jan. 6, at Manhattanville at 1:00 p.m.

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