JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The sixth-seeded William Paterson men's basketball team (15-11, 9-9 NJAC) led by as many as 23 points at third-seeded New Jersey City (19-7, 13-5 NJAC), then held off a late Gothic Knight rally for an 81-78 upset victory Feb. 17 during the first round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament.
 
The Pioneers advance to the semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 7:00 p.m. at second-seeded The College of New Jersey (19-6, 14-4 NJAC). The highest remaining seed will host the championship game Saturday, Feb. 24, at a time to be determined.
 
WP shot a scintillating 54.5 (18-33) percent during the first half, including a 6-for-10 (.600) effort from three-point range, while creating a 16-4 turnover advantage for a 52-34 halftime lead. Senior guard George Sapp (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek) and sophomore forward Sean Smith (Moraga, Calif./Campolindo) combined for 8-for-11 (.727) shooting for 14 points apiece.
 
Senior forward Richy Espinal (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park)'s trey capped an 8-3 burst to open the second half and hand the Pioneers their largest lead of the game at 60-37 with 16:56 remaining. William Paterson enjoyed a 17-point margin, 77-60 with 6:29 on the clock, before NJCU began to mount a charge, cutting it to single digits on a Sam Toney layup (77-69, 3:10). The Gothic Knights' rally continued, including two Toney free throws to make it a one-possession game (79-76, 1:17).
 
A WP miss led to a Toney layup and a one-point margin at 79-78 with 20 seconds to play. New Jersey City was forced to foul and senior guard Dapo Badmos (Toronto, Canada/The Kiski School) converted both crucial free throws to push the Pioneers back ahead by three (81-78, 0:18). Toney's attempt to tie the game hit the rim during the final five seconds and Smith corralled the long rebound to deny NJCU another chance to force overtime.
 
Espinal continued his hot play of late, pouring in 28 points to complement eight rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and four steals while shooting 50.0 (11-22) percent from the floor. He has eclipsed the 20-point barrier for the seventh time in last nine games. Sapp and Smith both finished with 16 tallies and three assists, and Badmos added nine points, six boards and three assists.
 
Toney led the Gothic Knights with 29 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Lavrone Green had 13 tallies and six boards.
 
For all of the latest information on the Pioneers, visit http://www.wpupioneers.com and http://www.wpupioneers.com/socialmedia.