HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. – The William Paterson men's basketball team (6-7, 1-5 NJAC) won the Cyclone Holiday Classic after defeating McDaniel (5-5, 1-3 Centenial), 72-63, Dec. 30.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• It was a back-and-forth contest for most of the night as the two sides struggled to gain separation. At the 13:39 mark of the second half, junior David Martinez knocked down three consecutive shots to spark a 10-0 William Paterson run that put the Pioneers ahead, 52-45.
• The Green Terror responded with a 7-1 run to trim the deficit to one (53-52) with 6:45 left to play.
• William Paterson maintained its slim lead the rest of the way and iced the game at the foul line in the closing minute by shooting 9-for-10 (.900) from the charity stripe to seal the 72-63 win.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The Pioneers extended their win streak to four games.
• Senior Shawn Summers Jr. finished with a game-high 19 points.
• Junior Neftali Valentin posted a 17-point outing with four rebounds. He went 11-for-12 (.917) from the foul line.
• Martinez shot 4-of-6 (.667) from the floor and 3-of-5 (.600) from deep for 12 points.
• Junior Andre Wells logged 10 points and a team-best seven rebounds.
• Senior Caeser Silvestro had nine points on 4-of-5 (.800) shooting with four boards and four steals.

 
UP NEXT:

• The Pioneers head to Ewing, N.J., Saturday, Jan. 6, for a 3:00 p.m. New Jersey Athletic Conference game at The College of New Jersey.