NEWARK, N.J. – Despite squandering a double-digit lead and leading by only two points late in the fourth quarter, the William Paterson men's basketball team (6-3, 3-1 NJAC) used clutch shooting from the free-throw line to escape Rutgers-Newark (4-3, 1-3 NJAC) with an 80-74 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victory Dec. 5.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Following a back-and-forth opening five minutes, Anthony Uribe (Hackensack, N.J./Bergen Catholic) and Sajimir Asani (Lincoln Park, N.J./Boonton) drained consecutive three-pointers as WP opened a 10-point cushion (23-13, 11:46). The Pioneers would push their lead to as many as 14 (36-22) before Rutgers-Newark used a run of its own to make it a seven point game at intermission, 41-34.
- With both teams trading buckets for the majority of the second stanza, Justin Lingat (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) converted a pair of free-throws to give the Pioneers a 68-60 at the 3:00 mark. RUN would respond by draining back-to-back three-pointers to make it a two-point affair (68-66). After a William Paterson timeout, Uribe and Lingat would each connect on crucial layups to extend the visitors lead. The Scarlet Raiders would attempt to rally, but a WP would knock down eight free-throws in the final 37 seconds to ice the game and escape with the 80-74 decision.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Sean Smith (Moraga, Calif./Campolindo) led WP with 17 points, while Myles McLeod (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) added 14. Domenic Mignone (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) posted another solid all-around performance, pouring in 11 points, pulling down five rebounds and leading all players with six assists.
- The Pioneers forced 19 Scarlet Raider turnovers, led by Uribe's four steals, and converted the miscues into 24 points.
- William Paterson tied a season-low with five three-point field goals, but did connect on 15-of-21 (.714) from the charity stripe.
UP NEXT:
- WP returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 8, when they host Stockton in NJAC play at 3:00 p.m.
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