Box Score

WAYNE, N.J. (Jan. 14, 2017) – Every time the Rutgers University-Camden men's basketball team made a run here Saturday, William Paterson University found a counterpunch in their New Jersey Athletic Conference game.
 
As a result, the Pioneers held off the Scarlet Raptors, 84-77, behind a game-high 27 points from senior guard Joseph Taylor (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson).
 
Paterson improves to 8-8 overall and 4-5 in the NJAC. Rutgers-Camden falls to 2-11 overall and 1-8 in the conference despite a team-high 23 points from junior guard Shafeek Taylor (Philadelphia, PA/Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School), playing in his first game as a Scarlet Raptor.
 
William Paterson has won the last 10 games and 22 of the last 23 against the Scarlet Raptors. The Pioneers own a 57-6 lead in the all-time series.
 
Trailing by a 4-0 score early, the Scarlet Raptors received points from four different players as they rolled off the next nine points, including a trey from junior guard Charlie Riccardi (Mullica Hill, NJ/St. Joseph-Hammonton). Paterson, however, countered with an eight-point run, regaining the lead, 13-12, on a trey by senior guard Turell McClendon (Newark, NJ/Piscataway Tech) along the way.
 
By halftime, the Pioneers held a 40-36 lead, led by 12 points from senior forward Richy Espinal (Ridgefield Park, NJ/Ridgefield Park) and nine from Joseph Taylor. For the Scarlet Raptors, freshman guard Keith Washington Jr. (Clementon, NJ/Monsignor Bonner) had 10 points at the break, while Riccardi had eight.
 
Trailing, 52-45, in the second half, the Scarlet Raptors cut the gap to four points on a trey by Washington, before the Pioneers ran off the next six points to make it a 58-48 game with 13:19 remaining. Once again, Rutgers-Camden rallied as Shafeek Taylor added a foul shot to his field goal, Riccardi nailed a trey and both Washington and sophomore forward/center Isaac Destin (Woodlynne, NJ/Collingswood) hit field goals to spark a 10-point run, tying the game at 58-58 with 9:49 remaining.
 
Paterson broke the Raptors' run on a pair of foul shots by Joseph Taylor, sparking a six-point run by the Pioneers. Paterson led, 73-67, before a layup and three-pointer by Shafeek Taylor sliced the gap to 73-72 with 2:52 remaining. Once again, Paterson's Joseph Taylor had the answer with a three-pointer of his own, making it 76-72 with 1:54 remaining.
 
After a trio of foul shots hiked Paterson's lead to 79-72, Washington Jr. drained a trey for the Raptors with 46 seconds left, cutting the gap to 79-75. Following another Paterson free throw, Shafeek Taylor's jumper made it an 80-77 game with 33 seconds remaining, but that was the closest the Raptors came. Joseph Taylor nailed two more foul shots with 26 seconds remaining, then added a steal that turned into the final layup of the game by senior guard Zach Frick (Sparta, NJ/Sparta).
 
Joseph Taylor shot 9-for-15 from the floor, including 3-for-6 from three-point range, and was 6-for-6 from the foul line for Paterson. Espinal and Frick both added 18 points. Espinal added a game-high five assists.
 
In addition to Shafeek Taylor, Washington Jr. notched 18 points and Riccardi tallied his Raptor career high of 17. Destin barely missed a double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.
 
Rutgers-Camden plays a non-conference 8 p.m. game Monday at Haverford College.