WAYNE, N.J. – A cold-shooting day for the William Paterson men's basketball team (2-5, 0-3 NJAC) proved costly as the Pioneers suffered an 83-68 defeat at the hands of Rowan (5-1, 3-0 NJAC), Dec. 2.
 
The Pioneers shot just 31 (22-71) percent from the field in the contest, while the Profs netted 30-of-64 (47 percent) shot attempts to down the Orange and Black. Senior Richy Espinal scored a team-high 12 points while pulling down 12 rebounds to record a double-double. Senior Dapo Badmos chipped in 11 points and sophomore Henry Voorhees scored nine points to go with eight rebounds. Rowan was led by Nick DePersia with 21 points on 6-of-10 (60 percent) shooting from beyond the arc.
 
The Pioneers trailed by as many as 14 points twice in the first half, but ended the opening 20 minutes on an 11-5 scoring burst to cut the deficit to 39-31 as the teams headed into the locker rooms at halftime.
 
Trailing 52-42, with 14:26 remaining, the Pioneers scored 10 unanswered points to level the scoring at the midway point of the second half. Their momentum was halted, however, as Rowan rattled off 12 straight tallies in response and never looked back. WP cut the lead to as little as 10 points with 5:19 remaining, but the Profs proved to be too much and held on for the 83-68 final.
 
The Pioneers will look to earn their first New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victory of the season when they host Montclair State Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 8:00 p.m.
 
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