Box Score 

WAYNE, N.J. – Thanks, in part, to a defensive effort that forced the visiting Valiants into 0-for-15 shooting during the first half, the William Paterson men's basketball team (12-1) defeated Manhattanville (6-7), 58-46, Jan. 6 for the Pioneers' 10th straight victory.

In a grind-it-out defensive battle, William Paterson jumped out to a 12-2 lead and was ahead 22-10 at the break. Manhattanville missed all 15 of its attempts from the floor during the opening half, including five from behind the arc, but hung in the game thanks to 10-for-12 (.833) shooting from the free-throw line. The Pioneers, 10-for-13 (.769) themselves at the stripe, made just 31.6 (6-19) percent of their shots and owned a 19-12 advantage on the boards.

After WP scored the first four points of the second half, Glen Rodriguez converted an eight-foot runner in the lane with 17:55 left for Manhattanville's first field goal of the night. The Valiants ended up making 12 of 24 (.500) attempts during the second period but never drew closer than 10 points against the Pioneers, who scored 19 points off of 20 Manhattanville turnovers. In the process, William Paterson improved upon its scoring defense that ranks third in Division III (54.3 ppg) and its field-goal percentage defense that is 11th in the national statistics (.373).

Senior Joseph Ellis (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) scored 11 of his game-high 15 points at the line, while classmate Abdoulaye Ouedraogo (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) contributed 14 tallies and a season-best 14 rebounds for his first double-double of the year. Junior Gabriel Paul (Hillside, N.J./Hillside) scored nine and senior Tim Lucas (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) had seven points and six rebounds.

Rodriguez, Trevoy Pointer, Lamar Glass and Jeff Ventura each scored eight points for Manhattanville.

The Pioneers will visit Kean Saturday, Jan. 9, at 3:00 p.m.