Freshman guard Joey Spiegel (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) paced the visiting Pioneers with 16 points while senior guard Robert Sullivan (Maplewood, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) added 15 points and a game-high six assists and four steals. Sophomore forward Luis Martinez (Passaic, NJ/Clifton) led WPU with 10 rebounds.
MSU sophomore forward Gian Paul Gonzalez tallied a game-high 21 points for the Red Hawks, his third outing this fall with 20 or more points, while shooting 11-for-11 from the free throw line. Senior forward Michael Gluck collected 14 points and a game-best 11 rebounds for the second straight contest, including 10 caroms on the defensive glass, along with three assists.
William Paterson grabbed a 13-4 lead just over six-and-half minutes into the contest, but Montclair closed to within 21-16 with 4:56 left in the half. Gluck tied the game at 30-30 as the first half ended on a three-point shot from center court, and the Red Hawks then took a 32-20 lead to start the second half on two free throws due to a technical foul against William Paterson.
The lead then changed three times before WPU went up for good by two points with 12:29 remaining in regulation. The Pioneers extended their advantage to 56-44 with 8:24 left, with MSU shut out for a total stretch of 7:11 as the Pioneers finished a 12-0 run. WPU got 30 points from its bench, and finished with 21 points off turnovers and 16 second-chance points in beating MSU for the second straight meeting while handing Montclair its second straight loss this season.
The Red Hawks return to action at the Salisbury (MD) Optimist Classic beginning this Friday with a 3:00 p.m. game against Rochester Institute of Technology. WPU hosts Richard Stockton College on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in an NJAC contest in Wayne.