Box Score
BRONX, N.Y. – Senior guard
Courtney Nelson's (Newark, N.J./Bloomfield Tech) layup with 1.1 seconds remaining lifted the William Paterson men's basketball team (8-1) to its sixth straight victory, a 65-64 triumph at Lehman (7-4) Dec. 29.
The Lightning had leads of six points on three separate occasions but could not hold off the Pioneers' late surge as Lehman's five-game winning streak came to an end. Following two free throws by sophomore guard Adam Manning, the Lightning were holding on to a 58-52 lead with 4:52 remaining. Over the ensuing three minutes, William Paterson put together an 8-0 run to take a two-point lead, 60-58, with 1:41 to go in the contest. After an Alen Redzic free throw drew Lehman within a point, the Pioneers failed to score on their possession, giving the Lightning the ball back with 56 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, senior Duane Rhoden put Lehman back on top when he buried a layup and drew a foul. After he sank a free throw to give his team a two-point lead, the Pioneers answered right back when junior guard
Joseph Ellis (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) drilled a three-pointer from the corner to put his team in front by a point with 12 ticks on the clock.
With Lehman head coach Steven Schulman deciding not to take a timeout, Lehman pushed the ball up the floor and Rhoden drove to the hoop and was fouled by William Paterson's
Bobby Dunn (Garwood, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson) with 5.6 seconds left. Rhoden drained both shots from the charity stripe, giving Lehman a one-point lead (64-63). The Pioneers would then inbound the basketball and Nelson drove right to the hoop, burying a reverse layup with 1.1 seconds left to put William Paterson ahead for good. The Lightning failed to get a shot off following a final timeout.
Nelson posted a game-high 20 points to go along with two assists. Ellis contributed 16 tallies, five caroms and four assists, and sophomore guard
Gabriel Paul (Hillside, N.J./Hillside) scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds.
Rhoden scored 19 points and tallied two steals. Redzic was also strong in the loss as he added 13 points and tallied six rebounds, and sophomore Xavier Garvin dropped in eight points and snatched three boards.
William Paterson will finish 2008 with a contest at CCNY Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 1:00 p.m.
