NEWARK, N.J..- The ninth-seeded William Paterson men's basketball team (15-12) continued its impressive tournament run, taking down fourth-seed Penn State Altoona (19-8) 86-81, advancing to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament championship game Mar. 5.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• WP jumped out to a quick 12-4 lead, at the 15:12 mark of the first.
• Penn State Altoona cut the deficit, trailing 24-23 with 6:50 left to play in the half.
• After the Lions took the lead, a three pointer from senior guard Nick Rodriguez (Redding, Calif./Shasta) left the Pioneers trailing 45-44 at halftime.
• Graduate student guard Domenic Mignone (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) gave WP the lead again, 56-54, with 13:54 left to play.
• The Pioneers held a five point lead (74-69) with 3:53 remaining.
• The Lions converted a free throw to put them behind 80-79, with 44 seconds left.
• Gilmore went 6-for-6 (.1000) on free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Junior forward Yvens Monfleury (Newark, N.J./American History) finished with a career-high 27 points, while grabbing 11 boards, securing his second straight double double.
• Gilmore added a season-high 18 points and seven rebounds.
• Mignone scored 13 points, had 10 rebounds and dished out seven assists.

UP NEXT:

• The #9 seeded Pioneers' will play in the tournament championship game on Sunday, March 6, at 1:00 p.m. in Newark, N.J., with an opponent yet to be determined.

FOLLOW THE PIONEERS:

• www.wpupioneers.com/socialmedia