WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson men's basketball team (7-6, 2-4 NJAC) handed The College of New Jersey (9-3, 4-1 NJAC) its first New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) loss of the season after taking down the Lions, 65-53, in the team's first contest of the calendar year, Jan. 3.
 
Sophomore Sean Smith (Moraga, Calif./Campolindo) led four Pioneers in double figures, netting 14 points on 4-of-5 (.800) shooting from beyond the arc. Senior Richy Espinal(Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) notched his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds, while seniors Dapo Badmos (Toronto, Canada/The Kiski School) and George Sapp (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek) chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively. Jordan Glover scored a team-high 13 points on 5-of-10 (.500) shooting for TCNJ.
 
Despite trailing by as many as seven points (17-10) just past the midway point of the first half, the Pioneers clawed back late in the stanza, briefly tying the score and using a jumper by freshman Malcom McLeod (Teaneck, N.J./Eastern Christian) just before the half to cut the deficit down to one (26-25) at the intermission.
 
WP took its first lead since the 15:51 mark of the opening period on jumper by sophomore Henry Voorhees(South Orange, N.J./Columbia) to open the second half. Smith followed up the basket with a layup and three-pointer of his own to ignite an eventual 15-2 run by the Orange and Black to give them a 12-point edge (40-28) less than four minutes into the period. The Pioneers did an excellent job of sustaining the lead, eventually pulling ahead by as many as 14 (51-37) with 8:28 remaining. TCNJ did not back down however, climbing back to make it 58-52 with 2:41 to play. A Sapp layup and Espinal free-throw put the game out of reach for good though, as the Pioneers closed the game on a 7-1 burst for the 12-point victory, and their first conference win since defeating Montclair State on Dec. 6.
 
The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 6, when the team travels to Rutgers-Newark for an 8:00 p.m. matchup with the Scarlet Raiders.
 
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