GLASSBORO, N.J. – The William Paterson men's basketball team (10-8, 5-6 NJAC) jumped out to a double-digit first-half lead on its way to securing a 99-89 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victory at Rowan (8-10, 4-7 NJAC) Jan. 20.
WP's three seniors combined for two-thirds of the Pioneers' points, led by guard
Dapo Badmos (Toronto, Canada/The Kiski School)' 23 tallies. He dished out a career-best six assists, while forward
Richy Espinal (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) had 22 points and seven rebounds. Guard
George Sapp (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek) added seven boards and a career-high 21 tallies, while sophomore forward
Henry Voorhees (South Orange, N.J./Columbia) pulled down a team-best eight rebounds. Classmate
Sean Smith (Moraga, Calif./Campolindo) chipped in 17 points.
An 11-1 run transformed a 32-29 edge into a 43-30 advantage with 3:34 remaining in the first half, and William Paterson carried a 50-37 lead into the locker room behind 33 total points from Badmos and Espinal. Sapp scored five of his 16 second-half points during the opening minutes of the period, handing the Pioneers their largest lead of the game at 61-42 with 17:19 on the clock.
When the Profs closed to within six (65-59, 12:47), WP responded by scoring 18 of the next 25 points, stretching its advantage to 83-66 with 6:56 left.
The Pioneers shot 52.9 (37-70) percent from the field overall, including a 9-for-19 (.474) effort from three-point range.
Junior guard/forward Ramon Wright paced Rowan with 25 points, and senior forward TJ Booth produced 17 tallies and eight rebounds.
William Paterson will host New Jersey City Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 8:00 p.m.
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