GLASSBORO, NJ – Ja'Zere Noel scored 35 points, including the 1,000th of his career, to lead Rowan to a 112-79 win over William Paterson in NJAC men's basketball action at Esby Gym. The Profs improve to 13-5 and 7-4 in the NJAC.
 
Noel shot 13-for-27 from the field, hit four three-pointers, and grabbed 11 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the year. He becomes the 30th player to reach the plateau during this time with the Profs.
 
Ross, who is also a 1,000-point scorer in three seasons at Rowan, added 20 points as he was a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line. Drew Amos came off the bench to notch a career-high 12 points as he was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range. Khalif Meares rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points and three steals.
 
Rowan built upon an eight-point halftime lead and in the first two minutes of the second half, led, 53-41. After William Paterson (6-12; 1-10) came within 53-45, three free throws from Ross and two baskets by Noel gave the Profs a 12-point cushion, 60-48 at 15:48.
 
The Profs took a 90-70 lead on a three by Noel at 7:08 and maintained a 20-plus point lead the rest of the way. Baskets in the final two minutes by Amos, Ryan O'Melia and Tim Myarick gave Rowan its biggest lead of the contest and the final margin.
 
In the first half, Rowan trailed, 18-10, but rattled off 12 straight points, with seven from Ross, to take a 22-20 lead at the midway point of the first half. The teams traded leads from there, with William Paterson's 40-35 margin at 2:49 being the largest of the half for either squad. Josh Wright started a 13-0 run to close out the half for the Profs with his three-point play. After seven straight points from Meares, Noel hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to provide the 48-40 halftime advantage for Rowan.
 
The Profs converted 13-of-29 of their three-point attempts and forced 19 turnovers by the Pioneers.
 
Next up for Rowan is a trip to TCNJ on Wednesday at 7 p.m. while the Profs will return home on January 27th.