WAYNE, N.J. – Despite a late lead, the William Paterson men's basketball team (5-15, 1-12 NJAC) could not hold on and ultimately fell, 80-79, to Rowan (11-9, 8-5 NJAC) in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) game Feb. 1 at the Sports and Recreation Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- After the two sides battled back and forth for most of the contest, Rowan held a 47-46 edge with 17 minutes remaining in the game. However, William Paterson outscored the Profs, 18-10, over a 7:28 stretch to grab a seven-point advantage (64-57) with 9:04 remaining.
- The Pioneers maintained their slim lead until Rowan evened the score (77-77) with 52 seconds left to play following back-to-back layups.
- Senior Andre Wells (Matawan, N.J./Matawan) knocked down a pair of free throws during two trips to the charity stripe to put the Pioneers back on top, 79-77, with 19 seconds on the clock.
- Rowan was fouled with six seconds remaining while shooting a three and made all three free throws before getting a defensive stop to seal the 80-79 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Wells finished with 21 points on 8-of-15 (.533) shooting while adding a team-high eight rebounds and five assists.
- Senior Neftali Valentin (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) went 8-for-12 (.667) from the field for a 21-point outing to pair with three assists.
- Freshman Delani Hyde (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) logged 12 points on 4-of-5 (.800) shooting with four boards, three blocks, two steals and an assist.
- Senior Tim Gjonballa (Brooklyn, N.Y./Jackson Liberty) finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson will take on Rutgers-Newark Wednesday, Feb. 5, in an 8:00 p.m. road conference game.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS: