Box Score 

PURCHASE, N.Y. – Sophomore forward Shaun Canty (Engelwood, N.J./Paramus Catholic) nailed the game-winning shot with two seconds left, giving William Paterson (17-4) a 57-56 overtime victory at Manhattanville (12-8) Feb. 4.

After a turnover by Joseph Ellis (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) gave Manhattanville possession tied at 47-47 with 55 seconds left in regulation, sophomore Lamar Glass misfired on a three-pointer but junior Angelo Laroche was there to get the offensive board and get to the free-throw line. With 10 seconds on the clock, Laroche missed both freebies to keep the game tied, but the Valiants had yet another chance when Glass corralled the rebound, yet his off-balance jumper could not fall with five seconds left.

There was still time for one more Pioneer attempt, but the ensuing three-point attempt of Manny Perrotte (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) clanged off the back iron as time expired to send the game into overtime.

In the extra session, the Pioneers scored the first four points to take a 51-47 lead, but the Valiants scored seven of the next nine points to take back the lead, 54-53, with 42 seconds left. The teams traded free throws to keep the Valiant lead at one with less than 15 seconds remaining, and the Valiants looked to get back to the free-throw line to seal the game. However, an ill-advised down-court pass by freshman Trevoy Pointer was picked off at the mid-court line by freshman Nolan Hill (Edgewater, N.J./Bergen Catholic), who had entered the game for the first time all night only 13 seconds earlier.

With eight seconds left on the clock, Hill took the ball right to the hoop and layed it off to Canty at the edge of the paint for an easy two, and Manhattanville's last-gasp heave went begging as the buzzer sounded to give William Paterson the victory.

Canty led the Pioneers with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, while senior Jordan Fowler (East Orange, N.J./Montclair) recorded the night's only double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Despite his free-throw troubles, Laroche led all players with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Pointer netted 16 points and junior DeVon Barnett tied a career high with 11 points off the bench for Manhattanville.

The dramatic finish veiled an offensive struggle for both teams in the first half. During the opening 20 minutes, Manhattanville took only 16 shots and made just six (37.5 percent) while turning the ball over 14 times. The home team was saved by 8-of-27 shooting (29.6 percent) from the Pioneers in the first half, including a 2-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc.

Manhattanville scored eight straight points to take the lead at 14-12, with the last six points coming on a pair of three pointers by Pointer, but the freshman's second three was the last field goal the Valiants scored in the opening 20 minutes. Manhattanville turned the ball over seven times in the final 10:01, resulting in only five field-goal attempts – all misses. William Paterson managed only three field goals in 12 attempts during the same span, however, as the Pioneers went into halftime with only a 25-17 lead.

The Valiants finished the night shooting 41.3 percent from the floor (19-for-46), while William Paterson pulled out the victory despite 31.5 percent shooting (17-for-54) from the field. The game was won by the Pioneers and lost by the Valiants at the free-throw line, as WP connected on 20 of 24 attempts (83.3 percent) from the line, while Manhattanville shot just 65.2 percent (15-for-23) from the charity stripe.

William Paterson will return to the Rec Center Saturday, Feb. 7, when the Pioneers host New Jersey City at 1:00 p.m.