Dec 16, 2023
THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – Four Pioneers scored in double figures as the William Paterson men's basketball team (4-7, 1-5 NJAC) captured an 86-79 road victory over Maritime (7-2, 2-0 Skyline) Dec. 16.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The William Paterson offense got into a groove early and grabbed a 17-point lead (25-8) with 11:50 remaining in the first half following a 19-4 run that spanned 4:58 of action. During that stretch, WP went 7-for-8 (.875) from the field and 3-for-3 (1.000) from deep.
- The Mariners began to chip into the deficit and pulled within eight (50-42) by halftime.
- With 5:35 left to play, a 3-pointer by Maritime made it a four-point game (70-66) before the Pioneers responded with six unanswered points to push the advantage back to double figures (76-66).
- Maritime made it a two-point game (80-78) with 54 seconds remaining after shooting 4-for-4 from the field over a three-minute span.
- However, a 3-pointer by senior Tyreek Montgomery with 26 seconds on the clock made it a two-possession game and the Pioneers went on to ice the game at the foul line to secure the 86-79 road win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The Pioneers captured their first road win of the season.
- Junior Andre Wells scored a career-high 26 points on 9-of-10 (.900) shooting with six rebounds and a career-best seven assists.
- Junior Neftali Valentin tied his career-best scoring mark of 19 points after shooting 8-for-13 (.615) from the field.
- Senior Shawn Summers Jr. posted a 16-point outing on 5-of-10 (.500) shooting.
- Montgomery went 4-for-8 (.500) from the floor and finished with 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and a career-high seven steals.
- Senior Caesar Silvestro recorded a season-high nine points after knocking down all four of his shot attempts.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson heads to Hackettstown, N.J., Dec. 29-30, to compete in the two-day Centenary Tournament. The Pioneers open play Friday, Dec. 29, against Penn State Abington at 1:00 p.m. The winner will advance to the finals the following day at 3:00 p.m., while the loser will play in the consolation final at 1:00 p.m.