Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. – Junior guard/forward Terik  Bridgeman (Harlem, NY/Nia Prep) and senior guard Sandy Burgos (Fort Lee, NJ/Fort Lee) scored 19 points apiece to power the William Paterson University men's basketball team to its 11th straight victory, a 92-73 win over Rutgers University-Camden here Saturday in New Jersey Athletic Conference action.
 
The Pioneers, who received 18 votes toward the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll this week, improve to 16-2 overall and 10-1 in the NJAC.
 
The Scarlet Raptors fall to 9-9 and 3-8.
 
Paterson has won seven straight games and 19 of its last 20 against Rutgers-Camden. The Pioneers lead the all-time series, 54-6.
 
The lead changed hands seven times in the opening half, with the Pioneers finally taking the lead for good at 14-12 on a three-point play by Bridgeman. That play started Paterson on an eight-point run, with the first five of them by Bridgeman. They capped that run with a three-pointer by Burgos, who had 16 points at the half. Bridgeman had 13 points at the break as the Pioneers held a 40-28 advantage. For Rutgers-Camden, senior guard/forward Alex Smart (Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek) had nine first-half points.
 
Although the Scarlet Raptors sliced the lead to 40-33 by scoring the first five points of the second half, the Pioneers countered with a 12-point run to make it 52-33. They led by as many as 25 points (68-43) on their way to the win.
 
In addition to the 19 points from both Bridgeman and Burgos, the Pioneers placed three other players in double figures offensively. Junior guard Bright Mensah (Hackensack, NJ/Hackensack) netted 17 points, while senior guard Jaques Conceicao (Massama-Lisboa, Portugal/Francais Charle Lepierre) and sophomore guard Turrell McClendon (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway Tech) both added 12.
 
Bridgeman added two blocks and nine rebounds for the Pioneers as Paterson held a 33-25 advantage off the boards. Burgos, meanwhile, led the Pioneers with five assists and Conceicao had four steals.
 
Smart notched a double-double for the Scarlet Raptors – his third of the season – with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while sophomore guard Marcus Taylor (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) collected a game-high 20 points, aided by 9-for-18 shooting from the floor. Junior guard John Tatem (Camden, NJ/Pennsauken Tech) added 13 points.
 
Both junior guard Julian Martin (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) and senior guard/forward Teon Russell (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) notched five assists for the Raptors, with Russell tying his career high set against Kean University Feb. 8, 2014. Russell also added four points for the Raptors to hike his career total over the 900-point plateau. He now owns 901 points in 64 career games.
 
Raptors senior guard Jason Richardson (Cedarbrook, NJ/Winslow Township) appeared in his 93rd career game, ninth on the all-time list, and collected one steal to tie Dane Nicholson (2003-07) for second on the program's all-time list at 163.
 
Paterson shot 31-for-53 (58.5) from the floor and held a 33-25 advantage in rebounding. Rutgers-Camden shot 31-for-60 (51.7). The Pioneers shot 76.9 percent (20-for-26) from the foul line.
 
Both teams return to action with 8 p.m. NJAC games Wednesday.  Paterson travels to New Jersey City University, while Rutgers-Camden hosts Rowan University.