WORCESTER, Mass. – Juniors Myles McLeod and Sean Smith each scored 20 points and Domenic Mignone totaled 19 for the third straight contest as the William Paterson men's basketball team (2-1) advanced to the championship game of the Ted Coughlin Memorial Tournament with an 86-79 victory over Eastern Connecticut State (0-1) Nov. 16.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Poor shooting, coupled with costly turnovers, found WP in a 19-7 hole at the 13:38 mark in the first half. A trio of Smith three-pointer got the Pioneers within two (23-21, 9:24), but Eastern Connecticut would match bucket-for-bucket and take slight 37-35 edge into the break.
• With the Warriors leading by four (48-44, 14:53), a deep trey by Smith ignited a 21-3 Pioneer burst that gave Brian Chapman's squad its biggest lead of the game (65-51). ECSU was able to cut the deficit to five (81-76), but a driving layup by Saint Simeon Beaubrun, coupled with a pair of Mignone free throws enabled WP to come away with the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• After scoring just two point in the opening stanza, McLeod erupted for 18 tallies in the second half on 8 of 9 (.888) shooting.
• Smith continued his efficiency from downtown, going 6-for-8 (.750) from beyond the arc.
• WP owned a 40-14 advantage on points in the paint, including a 30-6 margin in the second frame.

UP NEXT:

• William Paterson squares off against host Worcester Polytechnic Institute Saturday, Nov 17, at 3:00 p.m.

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