WAYNE, N.J. – Senior guard Turell McClendon (Newark, N.J./Piscataway Tech) collected his third straight double-double to help lead William Paterson (6-8, 2-5 NJAC) to a 54-42 men's basketball victory against visiting Rutgers-Newark (4-10, 3-4 NJAC) Jan. 7.

McClendon finished with game bests of 12 points, 14 rebounds and three steals. Senior forward Richy Espinal (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) notched 11 tallies, while senior guard Joseph Taylor (Camden, N.J./Woodrow Wilson) scored 10.

Ten lead changes marked a first half that ended with a 23-20 Pioneer advantage, and after the Scarlet Raiders pushed ahead by a 31-27 count less than five minutes into the second period, WP responded by scoring the game's next seven points for a 34-31 edge with 13:42 on the clock.

Rutgers-Newark briefly took a one-point lead (35-34, 12:13), but McClendon's layup sparked a 7-0 run that resulted in a 41-35 Pioneer advantage at the 7:32 mark. William Paterson never relinquished its lead, closing the game with a 12-3 surge.

Freshman guard Mike Vick was the only Scarlet Raider in double figures with 10 points. Freshman guard Chase Barneys chipped in six tallies and seven rebounds.

McClendon had nearly half of the Pioneers' caroms as WP was on the short end of a 40-29 rebounding margin, but a 23-11 advantage in turnovers led to an 18-4 edge in points scored off the miscues.

William Paterson will visit Kean Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 8:00 p.m.

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