WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson men's basketball team (4-4, 0-3 NJAC) suffered a 64-53 home loss against Stockton (4-2, 2-1 NJAC) Dec. 5.

The Ospreys built a 24-14 lead by the 8:28 mark of the first half, but the Pioneers began to chip away, eventually pulling even at 25-25 on a Terik Bridgeman (Harlem, N.Y./Nia Prep) free throw with 1:13 left. WP forced Stockton into 0-for-8 shooting and five turnovers during the stretch, but a Maurice Hart dunk and three-pointer allowed the Ospreys to enter the locker room with a 30-25 advantage.

Stockton again stretched its lead to double digits (47-37, 11:31), but WP continued to hang around, making it a one-possession game at 55-52 when junior guard Zach Frick (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) knocked down a pair from the charity stripe with 5:27 left. The Ospreys responded by scoring the game's next nine points, getting contributions from five different players during the next five minutes to put the game away at 64-52 with 26 seconds to play.

Senior guard Bright Mensah (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) led the Pioneers with 12 points, and Frick finished with 11. Bridgeman posted 10 tallies, eight rebounds and four blocked shots, and junior forward Richy Espinal (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) had seven points and a game-best 10 boards.

Senior guard Armin Cane paced Stockton with 18 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore forward Marcus Harmon collected 15 tallies.

William Paterson will play at Montclair State Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 8:00 p.m.

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