NJAC Tournament Championship Central

PITMAN, N.J. – Fifth-seeded William Paterson (16-9, 11-7 NJAC) will travel to fourth-seeded Ramapo (17-8, 11-7 NJAC) for the first round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Men's Basketball Tournament Saturday, Feb. 16, at 3:00 p.m.
 
WHERE:
Bill Bradley Sports & Recreation Center; Ticket prices are $5.00 for adults: $2.00 for children, students and senior citizens. WP students with ID will be admitted for free. Live statistics coverage will be available.
 
WHAT'S ON THE LINE:
The winner of the WP/Ramapo contest will advance to the semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 7:00 p.m. at top-seeded New Jersey City (19-6, 14-4 NJAC).

WP IN THE NJAC TOURNAMENT:  

• The Pioneers are making their 27th NJAC Tournament appearance (1972, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019), including 10 of the last 12 years.
• WP has won 11 NJAC titles (1972, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012).
• Most recently, sixth-seeded William Paterson pulled off a pair of road upsets and reached the championship game last season before falling to top-seeded Ramapo, 67-59.

 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS:

• Junior forward Sean Smith (Moraga, Calif./Campolindo) paces WP with 16.5 points per game, fourth best in the NJAC.
• Sophomore guard Domenic Mignone (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) is contributing 13.6 tallies and a team-best 3.8 assists per contest, while junior forward Myles McLeod (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) averages 11.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
• Sophomore forward Nasir Fields (Winslow Twp., N.J./Winslow Twp.) has come on strong as of late, averaging 13.6 points and 7.8 rebounds during the Pioneers' five-game winning streak.

 
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS:

• Ramapo's offense runs through senior guard Kashaun Barnes, who is the NJAC's second leading scorer at 18.6 points per game.
• Classmate Rob Lewis enters the tournament averaging 15.9 tallies and a conference-best 10.4 rebounds per contest, while junior guard Rob McWilliams rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11.6 per game.

 
HEAD-TO-HEAD THIS SEASON:

• The Pioneers and Roadrunners split the season series with the home team winning both games. Ramapo claimed an 81-78 victory on Jan. 12 and William Paterson posted an 82-81 overtime triumph on Feb. 9.

 
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS:

• http://www.wpupioneers.com/socialmedia