Box Score

WAYNE, N.J. – William Paterson (8-4, 1-2 NJAC) shot nearly 59 percent from the field and outscored the Scarlet Raiders 34-18 in the paint, handing Rutgers-Newark (12-2, 2-1 NJAC) a 77-60 defeat in men's basketball action Jan. 5 at the Rec Center.

Senior guard Gabriel Paul (Newark, N.J./Hillside) led all players with 27 points and seven rebounds, making 10 of 17 (.588) attempts from the floor. Senior guard Nick Allan (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) had 14 tallies, five assists and four steals, junior guard Paul Siljee (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) contributed 13 points and six boards, and junior forward Robert Whetham (North Haledon, N.J./Passaic Valley Regional) chipped in 10 points for the Pioneers. William Paterson finished 31-for-53 (.585) overall from the field, shooting nearly identical percentages during each half.

After Rutgers-Newark sprinted out to a 6-2 advantage to open play, the Pioneers responded with nine unanswered points, the last a Paul jumper in the paint, for an 11-6 lead five minutes into the contest. After an old-fashioned three-point play from Scarlet Raider sophomore Al'Don Muhammad, William Paterson reeled off an 11-3 run to build its largest lead of the half at 22-12 with 6:59 to play. Back-to-back field goals by Pedro Burgos and a Greg Moore trey cut that advantage down to two (22-20, 4:32), but the Pioneers were able to fight back and enter the locker room with a 32-26 edge.

William Paterson's lead never dipped below eight during the second half, and expanded to as many as 23 (63-40, 6:56) down the stretch. The Pioneers, Division III's second-best team in terms of scoring defense (52.7 ppg) entering the night, held Rutgers-Newark, 12th in the country in scoring (86.4 ppg), to a season-low points total as the Scarlet Raiders shot just 35.1 (20-57) percent from the floor and 25.9 (7-27) percent from three-point range.

Muhammad paced Rutgers-Newark with 21 points and five assists. Burgos added 17 tallies.

William Paterson will host Rowan Saturday, Jan. 8, at 1:00 p.m.