WAYNE, N.J. – A first-half rally allowed the William Paterson men's basketball team (10-9, 5-7 NJAC) to lead by as many as seven, but visiting New Jersey City (15-4, 9-3 NJAC) recovered for a 101-85 win Jan. 24.

A 22-9 rally erased a 17-11 Gothic Knight lead and handed the Pioneers a 33-26 edge with 8:08 to play during the first half, but NJCU responded with 12 unanswered points (38-33, 5:21) on its way to a 49-40 halftime advantage. WP never got closer than eight the rest of the way as New Jersey City finished with a .590 (36-61) field-goal percentage and a .593 (16-27) percentage from beyond the arc.

Senior forward Richy Espinal recorded his fifth double-double of the season, and 11th of his career, with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He chipped in four assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Sophomore forward Sean Smith produced 15 tallies, senior guard Dapo Badmos collected 13 points and senior guard George Sapp added 10 tallies and seven assists.

Sophomore forward Sam Toney led five Gothic Knights in double figures with 22 points. Junior guard Robert Gordon added 19 tallies.

William Paterson will take on visiting Stockton Saturday, Jan. 27, at 3:00 p.m.

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