LEXINGTON, VA. – Behind 23 points from senior guard Zach Frick (Sparta, N.J./Sparta), the William Paterson men's basketball team (5-7) earned a 76-61 victory Dec. 30 against Eastern (5-6) in the Washington & Lee Tournament consolation game.
 
Senior guard Turell McClendon (Newark, N.J./Piscataway Tech) notched 13 points and 17 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season, adding three assists. Senior guard Galen Smith (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway Tech) posted 15 tallies and three assists, while senior guard Joseph Taylor (Camden, N.J./Woodrow Wilson) collected 17 points, three assists and three steals to secure a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
 
The Eagles scored 12 of the game's first 15 points, but the Pioneers reeled off 12 unanswered points of their own, including seven from Frick, for a 15-12 advantage with 9:12 on the clock. Four lead changes and a tie marked the next 3:33 before a 13-5 WP spurt helped the Pioneers carry a 33-32 edge into the locker room.
 
It was no more than a two-possession game for the first half of the second period, and when Eastern pulled to within two at 56-54 with 5:22 to play, WP put together a 15-2 run to seize a 71-56 lead with 1:32 left.
 
The two sides were close in nearly every statistical category except turnovers, a 20-12 Pioneer edge they turned into a 20-8 advantage in points scored off the miscues.
 
Sophomore guard Austin Duncan led the Eagles with 14 points. Senior forward Lincoln Holley added 12 tallies and 13 rebounds.
 
William Paterson returns to conference action Wednesday, Jan. 4, at The College of New Jersey at 8:00 p.m.
 
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