MONTCLAIR, N.J. – William Paterson men's basketball nearly erased a late second half deficit but was unable to connect on the equalizer as Montclair State held on for an 84-78 victory in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament March 5.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Tied at 13-13 midway through the first, Domenic Mignone's (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) three-point play started a 7-2 run that gave the Pioneers a 20-15 edge with 7:23 remaining. A deep trifecta from MSU's Myles Mitchell-White got the host back within two (20-18), but Mignone and Adryan Lopez (Garfield, N.J./Lyndhurst) each scored five points during an 11-3 burst as WP opened a 10-point cushion (31-21, 5:22). The Red Hawks immediately began to chip away at the deficit, knocking down a pair of three-pointers and sinking six straight from the free-throw line to make it a one-possession game at the break, 39-37.
• After a foul beyond-the-arc led to a trio of Lopez free throws to put the visitors in front 44-39, Montclair State forced four WP turnovers in a span of four minutes, the last of which resulted in an Amir Williams layup that gave the Red Hawks the lead, 49-48. MSU kept applying the pressure on both ends of the floor and increased its margin to eight, 71-63. WP answered by shooting 3-of-3 from the field, and 4-for-6 from the line, to get it back to a three-point affair, 77-74, with 3:18 to play. Down by three in the final moments, WP had its chances to tie things up, but all three attempts missed the mark and Montclair State came away with the 84-78 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Yvens Monfleury (Newark, N.J./American History) finished with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-13 (.692) shooting his third 20-point performance of the season, and added seven rebounds and two steals.
• Mignone finished with 17 points and tied his career-high with eight assists, and Lopez added 14 tallies.
• Debon Bright (Woodland Park, N.J./Spring Valley) and Michael Gilmore (Teaneck, N.J./Pine Forge Academy) each enjoyed their best offensive output of the season, notching eight and seven points, respectively.

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