MAHWAH, N.J. – Despite a combined 41 points from
Domenic Mignone (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) and
Sean Smith (Moraga, Calif./Campolindo), William Paterson (16-10, 11-7) had its New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Men's Basketball Tournament run come to an end with an 80-65 first round loss to Ramapo (18-8, 11-7) Feb. 16.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Smith started the game by draining his first three shots and registering seven points as WP jumped out to an early 8-2 lead. After a shaking shooting start, the Roadrunners began to find their form, hitting on four straight from the field to tie things up at 14-14 with 12:38 remaining in the half. With several Pioneers in foul trouble and WP over the limit, Ramapo took advantage by knocking down eight straight from the charity stripe to open a six-point lead (30-24, 6:08), but a trio of three-pointers, two by Mignone and another by Smith, propelled William Paterson back in front, 33-32. With Ramapo ahead 42-37, Nasir Fields' (Winslow Twp., N.J./Winslow Twp.) three-point play and Jared Bennett's (Winslow Twp., N.J./Winslow Twp.) driving layup, tied the score at 42-42 before a late free throw gave the home team a slim 43-42 edge at the break.
- After some back-and-forth action to begin the second stanza, WP was able to gain a three-point edge (52-49) thanks to consecutive baskets from Myles McLeod (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) and Mignone. Ramapo followed with an 11-0 burst and led, 60-52, with 14:11 left on the clock. The Roadrunner's would extend the lead 11 before a Malcolm McLeod (Teaneck, N.J./Eastern Christian) tip in and Mignone jumper made it a seven-point affair (70-63, 3:01). However, the Pioneers would get no closer as Ramapo allowed just one field goal over the final three minutes to come away with the 80-65 decision.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Mignone finished the contest with a team-high 25 points, his third straight outing with 20+ tallies. Smith added 16 points to go along with four rebounds, while freshman Jared Bennett (Winslow Twp., N.J./Winslow Twp.) matched his season-high with eight tallies.
- Malcolm and Myles McLeod (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) shared top honors with six rebounds each and Anthony Uribe (Hackensack, N.J./Bergen Catholic) led all player with five assists.
- At the free throw line, Ramapo connected on 86.1 percent (31-36) of its attempts, compared to just 47.1 percent (8-17) for WP.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson now awaits the announcement of the ECAC Tournament field on Monday, Feb. 25.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS: