Martinez drained a three-pointer with 4:13 to play in the first half to notch his 1,000th point. He finished the game with 17 tallies, and now ranks 22nd in WPU history with 1,009 points.
William Paterson overcame a sluggish start to the game, ripping off 12 unanswered points to turn an 11-11 deadlock into a 23-11 lead with 5:23 remaining in the first half. The Pioneers entered the locker room with a 32-20 advantage, thanks in large part to a 41.4 (12-29) to 28.0 (7-25) edge in field-goal percentage.
The Pioneers opened things up to start the second half, orchestrating a 10-2 spurt to start the period and establish a 20-point lead (42-22, 17:39). William Paterson’s advantage never dipped below 17 points for the remainder of the game, and the Pioneers finished the contest 27-of-54 (.500) from the field and 8-of-18 (.444) from behind the arc.
Martinez posted game highs of 17 points and four steals, and tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Freshman Abdoulaye Ouedraogo (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) contributed 12 tallies and six rebounds, while junior Joey Spiegel (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) had 11 points. Sophomore Tim Lucas (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) dished a game-best eight assists for the Pioneers.
William Paterson was again playing short-handed, currently without the services of starters John Rother (Sodus Point, N.Y./Sodus Central) and Jason Cameron (Cliffside Park, N.J./Cliffside Park) due to injuries.
The Pioneers will return to NJAC action Wednesday, Jan. 17, at Rutgers-Newark at 7:30 p.m. William Paterson will then come home to face Rowan Saturday, Jan. 20, at 1:00 p.m.