MONTCLAIR, N.J.- The fifth-seeded William Paterson men's basketball team (12-12, 9-9 NJAC) suffered a 71-66, road loss at fourth-seed Montclair State (14-9, 10-8 NJAC) in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals Feb. 22

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Montclair State jumped out to an early 25-12 lead at the 8:06 mark of the first half.
• A jumper to beat the buzzer by senior guard Nick Rodriguez (Redding, Calif./Shasta) cut the deficit to six (33-27) at halftime.
• Within four minutes of the second half, the Pioneers only trailed 36-34 with 16:43 left to play.
• Strong offense from the Red Hawks gave them a 10-point advantage (57-47) with 8:30 remaining.
• A three-pointer from junior guard Adryan Lopez (Garfield, N.J./Lyndhurst) made the score 59-57 Montclair State with 3:42 left in the half.
• The Red Hawks held a six point lead (69-63) with 39 seconds left to play, as Lopez again nailed a three, bringing the Pioneers to within three.
• Montclair State held tough in the final 30 seconds to secure the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Junior guard Jadon Cepeda (West New York, N.J./Memorial) led WP with 12 points and six rebounds.
• Graduate student guard Domenic Mignone (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) and Lopez both finished in double-figures.

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• www.wpupioneers.com/socialmedia