WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson men's basketball team (7-14, 2-12 NJAC) held on to claim a 65-63 tightly-contested New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) win against Rutgers-Newark (4-16, 1-12 NJAC) Feb. 4 at the Sports and Recreation Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After both sides traded baskets for most of the night, the Pioneers trailed by three (56-53) with 5:57 remaining in the game following a 6-1 run by the Scarlet Raiders.
• WP countered with eight unanswered points to go ahead by five (61-56) with 3:03 left to play. However, Rutgers-Newark responded immediately with a 7-0 run to regain the advantage (63-61) with less than a minute remaining.
• Sophomore Jianni Moran (Fair Lawn, N.J./Fair Lawn) was fouled while shooting a shot from deep with 37 seconds on the clock and buried all three foul shots to put WP on top, 64-63.
• Rutgers-Newark missed a shot on its ensuing possession and the Pioneers held on for the 65-63 home win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Moran had a career-high 23 points.
• It marked the first 20-point game of his career.
• Senior Ethan Paul (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) shot 6-of-12 (.500) from the field for a 15-point performance while contributing nine rebounds, three steals, two assists and a pair of blocks.
• Sophomore Delani Hyde (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) poured in 12 points on 5-of-9 (.556) shooting, adding nine boards, two steals and a block.
• Freshman Nahsir Merrick (Bronx, N.Y./Stephenson) finished with 11 points and a career-high six assists to go with four rebounds, two steals and a block.

UP NEXT:

• William Paterson will head on the road to face off against New Jersey City Saturday, Feb. 7, at 7:30 p.m.  

 
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