WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson men's basketball team (2-4, 0-2 NJAC) had its chances late, but New Jersey City (5-1, 2-0 NJAC) was able to escape the Rec Center with a 71-69 overtime win Nov. 30.

WP trailed by five (29-24) at halftime, the Gothic Knights'  largest lead of the first 20 minutes, but a 13-2 run midway through the second period allowed the Pioneers to surge ahead by a 50-45 count at the 8:16 mark. A three-pointer by senior guard Galen Smith (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway Tech) made it a six-point lead at 53-47 with 6:59 left before two NJCU baskets were followed by a three-point play for a 54-53 New Jersey City edge with 5:27 remaining.

Three lead changes and two ties marked the next two minutes, and NJCU pulled out to a 60-56 advantage with 2:35 on the clock. A Tyler Iozia (Rochelle Park, N.J./Paramus Catholic) 1-for-2 trip to the charity stripe (60-57, 1:42) and two free throws by senior forward David Mofunanya (Englewood, N.J./Dwight Morrow) made it a 60-59 game with 1:21 left, but New Jersey City's James Julius was fouled and made the first of two attempts for a 61-59 margin with 62 seconds to play in regulation.

Senior guard Turell McClendon (Newark, N.J./Piscataway Tech) drove to the right, absorbed contact and finished to level the score at 61-61 with 46.6 seconds remaining. Senior guard Ata Robinson responded by banking in a jumper from the right side (63-61, 24.7), and the Pioneers had a chance to hold for the last shot. Smith pump-faked on the right wing, slid to his left, let go of a three-point attempt and was fouled, putting him on the line for three free throws with 5.4 seconds to play. He made the first two to tie the score before the Gothic Knights called timeout, and after the break his third shot nicked the front of the rim. NJCU came out with the rebound and had a relatively clear lane to the basket but didn't handle the ball cleanly, forcing an off-balance eight-footer that was well off the mark as time expired.

A Jalen Harris trey from the left corner and a Sam Toney jumper pushed New Jersey City ahead by a 68-63 count with 2:07 left in the overtime, but Iozia forced a key jump ball that kept it a two-possession game with 1:11 to play.

Senior guard Zach Frick (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) took advantage, draining a three-pointer (68-66, 47.6), and a push-off offensive foul by Robinson gave the ball back to the Pioneers with 34.2 seconds left. A miss from beyond the arc was deflected out of bounds, and a potential game-tying layup on the left side was missed and rebounded by the Gothic Knights, who drew a foul. Graduate student guard Chinwe Wosu sank both free throws (70-66, 10.5), but Smith gave WP hope when he connected from the right corner with 4.1 seconds to play, making it a 70-69 game.

William Paterson was whistled for a foul, and after consultation the referees deemed it intentional, giving the Gothic Knights two free throws and possession. Harris missed both, and WP fouled after the inbounds to send Toney to the line. He made the first (71-69, 3.0), but the miss of the second didn't allow the Pioneers to get set, and a forced attempt from near midcourt at the buzzer was offline.

McClendon had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds while dishing out four assists, while Mofunanya finished with 14 tallies and seven boards. Smith notched 14 points and Frick had 13.

Toney led NJCU with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Harris chipped in 13 tallies.

The Pioneers forced New Jersey City, the preseason pick to win the conference title, into 25-for-70 (.357) shooting overall and a 4-for-23 (.174) effort from behind the arc. Playing without its second-leading rebounder due to injury, WP kept the margin close on the glass (42-39), but the Gothic Knights owned scoring advantages of 34-20 in the paint and 16-6 in second-chance opportunities.

William Paterson will visit Rowan Saturday, Dec. 3, at 3:00 p.m.

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