Junior Larry Leverett’s (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) layup with 34 seconds remaining cut the Scarlet Raiders’ lead to 65-62, but Rutgers-Newark made all four of its free-throw attempts down the stretch to hold off William Paterson and earn the victory.
The Scarlet Raiders’ two free throws and buzzer-beating layup gave them a 33-29 halftime lead. Sophomore Tim Lucas (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) pulled the Pioneers within one (33-34, 17:19) with a pair of free throws early in the second half, but William Paterson would never lead in the second stanza, as Rutgers-Newark’s advantage stretched to as many as nine.
Even though WPU held its opponent to 31.4 (16-51) percent shooting overall and a 4-of-18 (.222) effort from three-point range, the Scarlet Raiders had a 44-23 advantage in free-throw attempts, making 33 of them to shoot 75.0 percent from the charity stripe.
Senior All-American Luis Martinez (Passaic, N.J./Clifton) led William Paterson with 16 points. Classmate Samir Sanu (Edison, N.J./Sayreville) added 11 tallies, while sophomore Shawn Colwell (Irvington, N.J./Irvington) had 10. Freshman Abdoulaye Ouedraogo (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) led the Pioneers with seven rebounds.
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 host Rowan Saturday, Jan. 20, at 1:00 p.m.