MAHWAH, N.J. – Junior forward
Terik Bridgeman (Harlem, N.Y./Nia Prep) scored five unanswered points, including three in the final 32 seconds, to lift the William Paterson men's basketball team (3-1, 2-0 NJAC) to a 64-61 victory at Ramapo (2-2, 0-2 NJAC) Nov. 25.
The Roadrunners seized a 61-59 advantage after a three-pointer with 3:13 remaining, but Bridgeman knotted the score with a jumper at the 1:30 mark. Senior guard
Jaques Conceicao (Massama-Lisboa, Portugal/Francais Charle Lepierre) rebounded a Ramapo miss, and Bridgeman followed with a dunk to hand WP a 63-61 edge with 32 seconds to play.
After a Roadrunner miss and Bridgeman rebound, he was fouled and sent to the free-throw line with eight seconds left. He made the second of two attempts, and a potential game-tying trey was off the mark during the final seconds.
Bridgeman finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, and junior guard
Bright Mensah (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) collected 12 tallies and a game-best 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard
Zach Frick (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) contributed 12 tallies and three assists, while Conceicao finished with 12 tallies and seven boards.
The Pioneers scored the first five points of the game, their largest lead of the night, but an 8-3 run allowed Ramapo to carry a 32-27 edge into the locker room. The Roadrunners then scored seven of the first 11 points of the second period, leading 39-31 with 16:34 on the clock. WP did not lead again until Frick's three-pointer at the 4:43 mark (57-55).
WP dominated the boards (38-21), using a 17-4 advantage on the offensive glass for a 14-4 margin in second-chance points.
Junior forward Frank Nock paced Ramapo with 18 points, and sophomore forward Jermaine Peart had 14.
William Paterson will visit Arcadia Sunday, Nov. 30, at 3:00 p.m.
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