WORCESTER, Mass. – Juniors
Myles McLeod (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) and
Sean Smith (Moraga, Calif./Campolindo) each scored 20 points and
Domenic Mignone (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) totaled 19 for the third straight contest as the William Paterson men's basketball team (2-1) advanced to the championship game of the Ted Coughlin Memorial Tournament with an 86-79 victory over Eastern Connecticut State (0-1) Nov. 16.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Poor shooting, coupled with costly turnovers, found WP in a 19-7 hole at the 13:38 mark in the first half. A trio of Smith three-pointers got the Pioneers within two (23-21, 9:24), but Eastern Connecticut would match bucket-for-bucket and take slight 37-35 edge into the break.
- With the Warriors leading by four (48-44, 14:53), a deep trey by Smith ignited a 21-3 Pioneer burst that gave Brian Chapman's squad its biggest lead of the game (65-51, 10:17). ECSU was able to cut the deficit to five (81-76), but a driving layup by Saint Simeon Beaubrun (Irvington, N.J./Columbia) and a pair of Mignone free throws enabled WP to come away with the win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- After scoring just two point in the opening stanza, McLeod erupted for 18 tallies in the second half on 8 of 9 (.888) shooting.
- Smith continued his efficient shooting from downtown, going 6-for-8 (.750) from beyond the arc.
- WP owned a 40-14 advantage on points in the paint, including a 30-6 margin in the second frame.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson squares off against host Worcester Polytechnic Institute Saturday, Nov 17, at 3:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS: