MAHWAH, N.J. – Ten unanswered points early in the second half and successful free throws down the stretch allowed the William Paterson men's basketball team (8-5, 5-3 NJAC) to score a 65-64 upset victory at No. 7 Ramapo (12-2, 7-1 NJAC) Jan. 9.

Senior guard/forward Lance Brown (Teaneck, N.J./Paterson Catholic) led all players with 27 points and 14 rebounds, and senior guard Rick DeStefano (Marlboro, N.J./Marlboro) chipped in 16 tallies.  Freshman guard/forward Terik Bridgeman's (Harlem, N.Y./Nia Prep) notched nine points and nine boards.

Six lead changes and five ties marked the game's first 14 minutes, but the Roadrunners put together a late surge and carried a 37-31 lead into halftime. 

The Pioneers fought back for a 40-39 edge two minutes into the second period, and after a Stephon Treadwell basket briefly pushed Ramapo back ahead (41-40, 16:34), Brown answered with a jumper, followed by a pair of Bridgeman free throws, a Brown three-point play and a Bright Mensah (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) dunk.  Senior guard Julio Rosario's (Perth Amboy, N.J./Cardinal McCarrick) 1-for-2 trip to the charity stripe finished a 10-0 WP run and made it a 50-41 score with 13:06 to play.

Two Elgin Brown free throws eventually pulled the Roadrunners within two at 60-58 at the 3:13 mark, but sophomore guard Manny Hernandez (Paterson, N.J./Paramus Catholic) matched his effort a minute later.  When Brown once again made it a two-point margin with his jumper with 1:42 remaining, the two teams combined for three missed field goals and four misses from the free-throw line until DeStefano sank a pair (64-60, 0:27). 

Anthony LoRusso drained a jumper for the Roadrunners nine seconds later, and Ramapo fouled DeStefano on the next possession.  He made the first of two (65-62, 0:11).  Garrett Thiehl missed an attempt from beyond the arc and he was fouled after Treadwell pulled down the rebound, but he could not find the mark on either of his attempts from the stripe.  Treadwell tipped in the miss of the second free throw, making it a one-point game with three seconds left, and the Roadrunners immediately fouled.  Brown missed both but the Pioneers came up with the final rebound to seal the victory.

Brown paced Ramapo with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Thiel had 15 tallies and nine boards.

William Paterson will host Rutgers-Camden Saturday, Jan. 12, at 3:00 p.m.

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