Box Score
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Facing a 13-point halftime deficit, No. 23 William Paterson (13-2) used a 17-3 run early in the second half to tie the score, eventually pulling ahead for a 70-65 victory at Baruch (14-4) Jan. 19.
The Bearcats owned a 35-22 edge at the break and opened up a 14-point lead (40-26) with 18:17 to play before the Pioneers answered by scoring 17 of the game's next 20 points to tie the score at 43-43 with 12:47 on the clock. Junior guard
Tim Lucas (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) had eight points during the spurt, including two three-pointers, Baruch scored the next five points, but a
Bobby Dunn (Garwood, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson) trey and a
Jordan Fowler (East Orange, N.J./Montclair) jumper again knotted the score (48-48, 10:08), and a pair of
Manny Perrotte (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) free throws a minute later gave William Paterson its first lead since midway through the first half. A Fowler dunk and four straight points from
Gabriel Paul (Hillside, N.J./Hillside) pushed the Pioneers head by eight at 56-48 with 8:03 to play.
William Paterson led by as many as nine (60-51, 5:27), but a Bearcat 13-6 run cut that advantage to two at 66-64 with 2:44 remaining. The two teams combined for four misses and a turnover until Baruch's George Kunkel made one of two free throws with 55 seconds on the clock, cutting the WP lead in half. Senior
Courtney Nelson's (Newark, N.J./Bloomfield Tech) attempt was no good during the next possession, but
Joseph Ellis (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) came away with the rebound, and the Bearcats committed the foul, sending Paul to the line with 19 seconds remaining. Paul made it a perfect 7-for-7 on the evening from the charity stripe, making both attempts to stretch the lead back to three (68-65), and following a Baruch miss from behind the arc, freshman
Christopher Diaz (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) made two free throws during the final three seconds to seal the win.
Nelson led the Pioneers with 16 tallies, adding three assists. Paul had 15 points, three rebounds and two steals, andFowler posted 11 points, a team-high eight rebounds and four steals.
Lionel Hilaire led all scorers with his 20 points, while Kunkel posted a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds for Baruch.
The Pioneers enjoyed an 18-2 edge in fast-break points and a 34-14 advantage in points scored in the paint. William Paterson also shot 45.5 (25-55) percent from the field, including a 16-for-28 (.571) effort during the second half, compared to Baruch's 19-for-50 (.380) shooting night overall.
William Paterson will return to the Rec Center to take on Rutgers-Newark Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 8:00 p.m.
