JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Three Pioneers were in double figures in scoring as the No. 22 William Paterson men's basketball team (19-3, 13-2 NJAC) held off host New Jersey City (9-12, 7-8 NJAC) down the stretch, 62-59, Feb. 9.
Senior guard Sandy Burgos (Fort Lee, N.J./Fort Lee) posted 16 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard/forward Terik Bridgeman (Harlem, N.Y./Nia Prep) had 13 tallies and seven boards. Junior guard Bright Mensah (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) finished with 11 points, and senior guard Jaques Conceicao (Massama-Lisboa, Portugal/Francais Charle Lepierre) chipped in eight tallies and team bests of nine rebounds and three steals.
A 12-2 burst pushed the Pioneers ahead by a 24-13 count at the 7:55 mark of the first half, but the Gothic Knights ended the period with a 10-3 run to pull within three, 31-28, by halftime.
Five different Pioneers got into the scoring column during the opening minutes of the second period, building a 41-32 advantage with 12:42 to play. However, NJCU scored 11 of the next 13 points, forging a 43-43 deadlock with 9:44 remaining.
A three-point play by sophomore guard Turrell McClendon (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway Tech) and a Burgos three-pointer gave WP some breathing room (49-43, 7:54), but William Paterson couldn't shake the Gothic Knights, and a New Jersey City layup cut the lead to three at 56-53 with 1:58 on the clock.
A WP turnover and misses by both teams eventually led to a Pioneer foul, and NJCU junior guard Khalid Muhammad made the second of two free throws (56-54, 0:29). Conceicao was fouled six seconds later and went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe, and he then rebounded a Gothic Knight miss at the other end and was again fouled. After two more Conceicao free throws (60-54, 0:08), Muhammad was allowed to drive to the rim and score (60-56, 0:04). The Gothic Knights fouled two seconds later and Burgos made both free throws for a six-point lead, making David Cole's nearly half-court bucket at the buzzer inconsequential to the outcome.
Cole led all scorers with 20 points, and senior forward Neville Joseph had 14 tallies, eight rebounds and five steals.
William Paterson will play at Kean Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 8:00 p.m.
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