Box Score WAYNE, NJ – Guard Joseph Taylor drilled a three-pointer with 0.2 seconds on the clock to give the William Paterson University men's basketball team a 78-75 victory over visiting Rowan University in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) game on Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers had a 72-64 lead with 3:02 remaining. The Profs registered six straight free throws to cut the deficit to two (72-70) at the 2:19 mark. Taylor (sr. Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) made a foul shot and guard Zach Frick (sr. Sparta, NJ/Sparta) added a pair from the line for a 75-70 advantage. Guard
Nick DePersia (so. Cherry Hill, NJ/Haddonfield Mem.) nailed a triple (1:29) to put Rowan back within two (75-73).
Taylor turned the ball over and forward
TJ Booth (jr. Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) tipped in a missed shot to tie the score at 75 (1:05). After a missed jumper by William Paterson, Taylor forced a tie-up with five seconds to go and the possession arrow favored the Pioneers. Frick found Taylor for the winning shot on the ensuing play.
The Profs are 11-7 overall and 6-5 in the conference. William Paterson has an even 9-9 record and it is 5-6 in the NJAC.
Taylor finished with a game-high 25 points and also dished four assists. Forward Richy Espinal (sr. Ridgefield Park, NJ/Ridgefield Park) totaled 14 points and 11 rebounds. Guard George Sapp (jr. Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek Reg.) also registered a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. He also notched four assists. Guard Galen Smith (sr. Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway Tech) contributed with 11 points and six rebounds while Frick grabbed eight boards.
Guard
Jeff Haddock (fr. Burlington, NJ/Willingboro) paced Rowan with 19 points. Forward
Shawn Wilson (sr. Pleasantville, NJ/Pleasantville) produced 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Guard
Rob DePersia (so. Cherry Hill, NJ/Haddonfield Mem.) tallied 10 points.
Nick DePersia ended the contest with nine points and seven boards. Forward
Gary Carthan (sr. Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown Reg.) and Booth each brought down six rebounds.
The Profs had an early 4-2 lead before the Pioneers went on a 16-2 run for an 18-6 advantage (12:50). Five different players scored in the stretch. Guard Anthony Uribe's (so. Hackensack, NJ/Bergen Catholic) layup made the score 33-20 (7:09). Rowan followed with its own 16-2 surge to go ahead 36-35 (2:15). Haddock poured in eight points,
Rob DePersia totaled five and forward Tomas Malmsjö (fr. Malmö, Sweden/Malmö Idrottsgymnasium) added a three-pointer. William Paterson was up 39-36 at the break.
The Profs began the second half with 14 of the first 16 points to lead 50-41 (15:02). Four players contributed to the surge and it was their largest cushion of the game. The Pioneers stormed back with a 15-4 run that ended at the 8:33 mark. Taylor sparked the rally with eight points and William Paterson was ahead 56-54. Wilson hit a jump shot (8:12), Haddock made a layup (7:33) and Wilson converted two foul shots (7:14) for a four-point advantage (60-56). The Pioneers followed with 16 of the next 20 points that ended with a Taylor tip-in and set up the final sequence.
Rowan returns to Glassboro to take on Rutgers-Camden on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 8 p.m.
