JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The No. 18 William Paterson men's basketball team (15-2, 6-1 NJAC) pulled away late from New Jersey City (12-4, 3-3 NJAC), snapping the Gothic Knights' 18-game homecourt win streak with a 72-58 victory Jan. 18.
Freshman guard Jaques Conceicao (Massama-Lisboa, Portugal/Francais Charle Lepierre) paced the Pioneers with 16 points and seven steals, while junior guard/forward Lance Brown (Teaneck, N.J./Paterson Catholic) had his ninth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Gothic Knights, who had not lost at home since a 70-67 setback against Kean on Dec. 4, 2010, never trailed during the first half, and entered the break with a 32-27 advantage. Junior Corey Chandler's (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) layup handed WP its first lead of the contest at 38-37 5:01 into the second period, but seven lead changes and three ties marked the next six minutes.
Conceicao sank a pair of free throws to push William Paterson ahead, 52-51 with 8:46 remaining, the start of a 13-2 run that handed the Pioneers a 64-53 lead with 2:35 on the clock. WP used improved field-goal shooting to secure the victory, knocking down 13 of 25 (.520) attempts following the intermission. Despite NJCU having the clear size advantage, William Paterson had a nearly 3-to-1 margin inside, outscoring the Gothic Knights 38-14 in the paint. Meanwhile, the Pioneers, who also had a 28-6 edge in bench scoring, outrebounded NJCU 34-23, including 14-4 on the offensive glass. That helped WP claim a 12-2 margin in second-chance scoring. The Pioneers only committed nine turnovers, including just three in the second half, and owned a 23-5 difference in points off the miscues.
Chandler finished with 13 points and three steals, and junior Rick DeStefano (Marlboro, N.J./Marlboro) and freshman James McLane (Belleville, N.J./Queen of Peace) each scored seven.
Walik Albright scored 16 points for NJCU, Matt Washington had 15 tallies, and Kaihrique Irick added 10 for the Gothic Knights.
William Paterson will host Rutgers-Camden Saturday, Jan. 21, at 3:00 p.m.