CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Domenic Mignone (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) and Sean Smith (Moraga, Calif./Campolindo) combined for 29 points, and Nasir Fields (Winslow Twp., N.J./Winslow Twp.) grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds, lifting William Paterson men's basketball (6-4) to a 67-58 victory over Juniata (2-7) in the opening round of the Al Senavitis Memorial Tournament Dec. 28. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• WP's defense stole the show early on, forcing eight Juniata turnovers to take a 13-point lead (24-11) with 6:39 remaining in the opening half. The Eagles would respond with an 11-3 burst and trailed by five at the break, 27-22. 
• With the Pioneers clinging to a one-point lead late in the game (47-46, 6:52) a three-pointer from junior guard Nick Rodriguez (Redding, Calif./Shasta) ignited a run that saw WP outscore Juniata 16-5 over a span of 5:04 and coast to the nine-point triumph. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Mignone finished with 14 points, including 8-for-10 from the charity stripe, and added with five rebounds, four steals and three assists.
• Fields' 14 boards are his third double-digit output of the season and tie his career high. 
• Smith tallied a team-high 15 points, while junior Malcolm McLeod (Teaneck, N.J./Eastern Christian) added 12.
• William Paterson hit a season-high 24 free throws, including 17-of-22 (.773) in the second half. 
• The Pioneers also held a significant margin in bench points (17-4) and fastbreak scoring (8-2). 

UP NEXT:

• WP will face host DeSales in the finals of the Al Senavitis Memorial Tournament Sunday, Dec. 29, at 4:00 p.m. 

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