WAYNE, N.J. – In a battle between the top two teams in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) men's basketball standings, the No. 25 William Paterson men's basketball team's (16-3, 10-2 NJAC) rally fell short against visiting No. 13 Richard Stockton (17-3, 11-2 NJAC), 61-57, Jan. 31.

The two sides traded the lead back and forth seven times during a gritty first half. The Pioneers scored seven of the game's first nine points behind five tallies from senior guard Sandy Burgos (Fort Lee, N.J./Fort Lee), but seven straight Osprey points later in the period gave Stockton a 25-19 edge at the 8:06 mark. Stockton owned a 31-26 halftime advantage, thanks in part to a 23-18 rebounding margin and a 14-6 scoring advantage in the paint.

The Pioneers got points from five different players during an 11-2 burst early in the second period, matching WP's largest lead of the game at 41-36 with 13:50 to play. But William Paterson later went scoreless for a four-minute span, turning a 45-44 Osprey edge at the 6:33 mark into a 55-44 Stockton margin with 3:57 left.

Junior guard Manny Hernandez (Paterson, N.J./Paramus Catholic) came off the bench to hit a three-pointer (55-47, 2:38), and his back-to-back three-point plays later made it a three-point game at 57-54 with 52.6 seconds on the clock. Following a Stockton turnover, the Pioneers had three chances at the game-tying bucket, but the possession was finally ended by a defensive rebound from Stockton senior forward Josh Blamon and he was fouled with 10.8 seconds remaining. Blamon made both attempts (59-54), and after a WP turnover Osprey senior forward Myles Reuben went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe to put the game out of reach at 61-54 with 4.3 seconds remaining.

Junior guard/forward Terik Bridgeman (Harlem, N.Y./Nia Prep) scored 11 of his team-high 16 points during the first half, and finished with 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Burgos had 11 tallies as the Pioneers' 11-game win streak was snapped.

Junior guard Armin Cane led Stockton with 19 points, while Blamon had 17 tallies and seven rebounds. Freshman forward Marcus Harmon pulled down a team-high eight boards. The Ospreys had a slight 15-13 advantage on the offensive glass, but turned it into a 16-8 edge in second-chance points.

William Paterson will visit New Jersey City Monday, Feb. 2, at 8:00 p.m.

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