Box Score 

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A last-second, game-tying shot would not fall as the William Paterson men's basketball team (2-1) suffered a 56-53 loss to Oneonta State (2-0) in the final of Muhlenberg's Scotty Wood Tournament Nov. 21. Seniors Joseph Ellis (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) and Tim Lucas (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) were selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Tied at 53-53 with 4:04 to play, the Red Dragons pulled ahead with a Brian Beckford bucket (55-53, 3:47), but neither team was able to score again for the next three and a half minutes, including a Oneonta miss of a one-and-one with 23 seconds on the clock. Michael Grimes made the first but missed the second from the charity strip with 8.2 seconds remaining (56-53), and Bobby Dunn (Garwood, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson Regional) came away with the rebound to give WP one last chance.

Senior Eric Moore's (Dover, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) three-point attempt missed, but Ellis pulled down the rebound and shuffled the ball to junior Gabriel Paul (Hillside, N.J./Hillside), who had just enough time to retreat behind the arc and launch a shot before the final horn sounded. Paul's attempt seemed to go halfway down the cylinder, but came up and out to deny the Pioneers an overtime session.

Ellis paced William Paterson with 13 points against Oneonta State, one day after he had 10 points and three assists against Moravian in the first round Nov. 20. Lucas posted five tallies and two steals to follow up a 19-point, nine-steal performance against the Greyhounds.

Paul chipped in 10 points and a game-best five assists, senior Abdoulaye Ouedraogo (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) contributed nine tallies, and Dunn and Moore each scored eight.

Oneonta State began the game with a 14-7 spurt, but William Paterson fought back to score the next nine points en route to building a 31-21 advantage with 4:24 left before halftime. However, the Pioneers made just one of six attempts down the stretch, and took a 33-31 lead into the locker room. The two teams traded the lead back and forth to open the second period until a 9-0 Oneonta run gave the Red Dragons a seven-point edge, 52-45, with 7:46 to play. WP responded with a Moore jumper, two Ouedraogo free throws, and two Paul baskets to eventually forge a 53-53 deadlock.

Grimes had 16 points and six rebounds for Oneonta, Beckford chipped in 10 tallies and nine boards, and Brian Hooks had 13 points.

William Paterson will play at New York City Tech Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 7:00 p.m.