GLASSBORO, N.J. – The William Paterson men's basketball team (13-12, 8-10 NJAC) never trailed at Rowan (9-16, 6-12 NJAC), pulling away for an 85-65 victory Feb. 17 in the regular-season finale for both teams.

The Pioneers need a Montclair State or The College of New Jersey loss tonight for WP to qualify for the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament.

Senior guard Terik Bridgeman (Harlem, N.Y./Nia Prep) led the Pioneers with 21 points while tying his career best with 17 rebounds. Senior guard Bright Mensah (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) had 20 tallies, seven boards and five assists, senior guard Manny Hernandez (Paterson, N.J./Paramus Catholic) notched 14 points and junior forward Richy Espinal (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) finished with 12 tallies and nine rebounds.

WP shot better from beyond the arc (.474, 9-19) than from inside it (.267, 4-15) during the first half, leading by as many as 13 (28-15, 8:42) before carrying a 39-31 advantage into the locker room. The Pioneers quickly stretched a 43-35 edge less than 90 seconds into the second period into a 20-point margin (68-48, 10:10) behind 11 tallies from Bridgeman and eight from Hernandez.

William Paterson finished 13-for-31 (.419) from three-point range and 16-for-19 (.842) from the free-throw line.

Senior guard Kris O'Connor paced the Profs with 21 points and seven rebounds. Junior forward Gary Carthan added 12 tallies.

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