WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson men's basketball team (10-11, 6-8 NJAC) dropped a 71-66 decision to visiting Montclair State (11-10, 8-6 NJAC) Feb. 1.

Senior guard Joseph Taylor (Camden, N.J./Woodrow Wilson) and senior forward Richy Espinal (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) each scored 14 points, and senior guard Zach Frick (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) added 13 tallies.

A Turell McClendon (Newark, N.J./Piscataway Tech) layup pushed the Pioneers ahead by a 25-22 count with 3:37 left in the first half, but 12 straight points by the Red Hawks helped MSU carry a 34-27 advantage into the locker room.

Eight consecutive points, including four from sophomore guard Peter Martinez (Stockton, Calif./Dublin), allowed WP to stake itself to a 55-51 lead with 7:56 left, and the Pioneers still owned a four-point edge four minutes later (61-57, 3:54). However, a 10-1 Red Hawk run during a three-minute span made it a 69-62 MSU advantage with 27 seconds on the clock.

Junior center/forward Jarrett Bogus led four MSU players in double figures with 14 points, chipping in seven rebounds. Junior guard Jovannni Chatham contributed 13 tallies and seven boards, while freshman forward/center Eddie Emedoh pulled down a game-best 11 rebounds.

The Pioneers owned a 12-26 turnover advantage, but were out-rebounded by MSU by a 53-22 count.

William Paterson will compete at Rutgers-Newark Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8:00 p.m.

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