MONTCLAIR, N.J. – No. 25 William Paterson (17-3, 11-2 NJAC) needed a furious rally late, coming back from a 10-point deficit with 1:37 remaining to post a 70-67 men's basketball victory in the latest chapter of the Rt. 46 rivalry against Montclair State (5-14, 2-12 NJAC) Feb. 4.

Down by a 67-57 count with 97 seconds left, senior guard Sandy Burgos (Fort Lee, N.J./Fort Lee) nailed a jumper at the 1:27 mark, and after a Red Hawk miss and rebound by junior guard/forward Terik Bridgeman (Harlem, N.Y./Nia Prep), junior guard Bright Mensah (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) was fouled. He made both attempts from the free-throw line (67-61, 1:17), followed by a turnover by MSU. Bridgeman drained a three-pointer, making it a one-possession game at 67-64 with 50 seconds to play.

Burgos forced a turnover on the next Montclair State possession and was fouled, and his two free throws cut the margin to one (67-66, 0:46). Junior guard Manny Hernandez (Paterson, N.J./Paramus Catholic) blocked Lavrone Green's shot on the other end and Bridgeman collected the loose ball with 20 ticks on the clock, and Burgos gave WP its first lead since midway through the first half with a three-pointer  (69-67, 0:10) for his own personal 5-0 run.

A miss by Montclair State was rebounded by Bridgeman with two seconds to play, and he was fouled and sent to the charity stripe. He made the first of two attempts (70-67, 0:02), and a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer by the Red Hawks was off the mark.

Bridgeman led the Pioneers with 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Mensah posted 14 tallies, nine boards, three assists and four steals. Burgos finished with 11 points.

A 9-1 Montclair State burst handed the host team a 19-13 edge with 6:23 to play in the first half, and the Red Hawks carried a 24-21 advantage into the locker room. MSU's largest lead of the game came at the 12:29 mark of the second period (47-35), and when the Pioneers later pulled to within three at 59-56 with 3:36 on the clock, Montclair State answered with an 8-1 run to make it a 67-57 game with 1:37 left.

Green scored 23 points to pace MSU, and sophomore guard Shaun Russell chipped in 18 tallies.

The Red Hawks owned a statistical advantage in almost every category, including a .510 (25-49) field-goal percentage compared to WP's .393 (22-56) effort, except on the boards. The Pioneers out-rebounded Montclair State 43-26 and enjoyed a 24-10 edge in second-chance points.

William Paterson will host Rutgers-Newark Saturday, Feb. 7, at 1:00 p.m.

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