EWING, N.J. – The William Paterson men's basketball team (12-11, 7-9 NJAC) threatened late but couldn't overcome host The College of New Jersey (17-6, 12-4 NJAC), 74-70, Feb. 7.
With two regular-season games remaining, the Pioneers are in seventh place in the league standings. The top six teams qualify, with the first two seeds earning byes and the third and fourth seeds hosting the fifth and sixth seeds for first-round games on Saturday, Feb. 17.
A three-pointer during the final seconds allowed the Lions to carry a 33-29 advantage into the break, and TCNJ added to its lead by scoring the first four points of the second half. Trailing by a 48-42 count with 13:30 left, the Pioneers used a
Nasir Fields (Winslow Twp., N.J./Winslow Twp.) layup, two
Richy Espinal (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) free throws and a three-pointer by
Domenic Mignone (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) to seize a 49-48 edge with 11:10 on the clock.
The Lions responded to lead by as many as five twice during the next 9:29, including a 68-63 score with 1:41 remaining. Senior guard
George Sapp (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek) drilled a three-pointer to pull the Pioneers within two at 70-68 with 28 seconds to play, but TCNJ made four of its six free-throw attempts down the stretch to ice the victory.
Sapp led WP with 17 points, while Espinal collected 15 tallies, six rebounds and five steals. Senior guard
Dapo Badmos (Toronto, Canada/The Kiski School) added 10 points and four assists.
Senior guard Eric Murdoch, Jr. led all players with 26 points for the Lions. Sophomore guard Randy Walko had 21 tallies and 10 rebounds.
TCNJ enjoyed a decided advantage at the free-throw line, making 22 of 27 (.815) attempts compared to the Pioneers' 4-for-5 (.800) shooting, and owned a 17-2 edge in second-chance points.
William Paterson will celebrate Senior Day Saturday, Feb. 10, when the Pioneers host Rutgers-Camden at 1:00 p.m.
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http://www.wpupioneers.com and
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