WAYNE, N.J. – A second-half surge by the William Paterson men's basketball team (5-5, 1-4 NJAC) wasn't quite enough as Rowan (2-8, 2-3 NJAC) escaped, 71-70, Dec. 13 at the Sports and Recreation Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Profs raced out a 26-14 advantage 12 minutes into the game before 12 straight points by the Pioneers leveled the score at 28-28 at the 4:06 mark. However, Rowan responded by scoring 15 of the final 20 points of the half, enjoying a 43-33 halftime lead.
- Trailing 66-57 with 6:30 left in the second half, WP began chipping away. Senior forward Ethan Paul (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) made a free throw, sophomore guard Jack Gobel (Weehawken, N.J./Weehawken) and junior forward Fred Orock Jr. (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) contributed layups, Paul tipped in a missed Orock free throw, and Orock knocked down two from the charity stripe after sophomore forward Delani Hyde (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) drew a foul but was injured on the play, knotting the score at 66-66 with 3:11 to play.
- The teams traded turnovers before the Profs scored two from the line (68-66, 2:39), as did Paul (68-68, 1:34). A 1-for-2 Rowan trip to the free-throw line (69-68, 1:33), a WP interior miss, and a Prof jumper left it a 71-68 Rowan lead with 25 seconds remaining. Freshman guard Nahsir Merrick (Bronx, N.Y./Stephenson) cut it to one at 71-70 during the closing seconds, and the Pioneers did come up with a steal near the Rowan basket, but William Paterson could not get up a quality shot before the final horn sounded.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Orock was 8-for-9 (.889) from the floor for a season-best 18 points, adding five rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals.
- Gobel had his ninth double-digit scoring effort of the year with 17 tallies, and Merrick contributed seven rebounds, two steals and a season-best 16 points.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson will visit Mount Saint Vincent Tuesday, Dec. 16, for a 4:00 p.m. tilt.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS: