WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson men's basketball team (12-10, 7-8 NJAC) picked up a key conference victory, 84-80, against visiting Rutgers-Newark (8-13, 4-11 NJAC) Feb. 3. Senior guard George Sapp led six Pioneers in double figures with 16 points.

WP remains in a three-way tie for fifth place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) standings with three regular-season games remaining. The top six teams will qualify for the NJAC Tournament that begins Saturday, Feb. 17.

The Pioneers used a 28-10 run to pull ahead by 16 (38-22, 5:21) before carrying a 47-35 edge into the break. The Scarlet Raiders fought back for their first lead since the 14:23 mark of the first half, using a Mark Thomas jumper for a 54-53 edge with 13:38 remaining in the contest. Three lead changes and a pair of ties marked the next six minutes, with neither team leading by more than four during that span, before freshman guard Domenic Mignone's seven points sparked a 9-0 WP burst (72-65, 6:46).

William Paterson kept it a two-possession game until Rutgers-Newark senior guard Erick Loften-Harris made one of two free throws for an 80-77 score with 1:59 left. Mignone converted a layup 29 seconds later, but Scarlet Raider sophomore guard Chase Barneys knocked down a three-pointer at the 1:15 mark (82-80). A pair of misses led to a foul and two made free throws by WP senior guard Dapo Badmos (84-80, 0:21), and Rutgers-Newark missed twice from beyond the arc to end the game.

Badmos scored 15 points, while Mignone contributed 12 from off the bench. Senior forward Richy Espinal and sophomore forward Sean Smith each posted 11 tallies, freshman forward Nasir Fields added 10 points, and sophomore forward Henry Voorhees pulled down a game-best 11 rebounds.

Barneys led Rutgers-Newark with 27 points, while Thomas chipped in 18 tallies and five rebounds.

William Paterson will travel to second-place The College of New Jersey Wednesday, Feb. 7, for an 8:00 p.m. meeting.

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