Wayne, NJ – In a high-scoring contest, the CCNY men's basketball program fell short Wednesday night, falling on the road in non-conference action to William Paterson University, 100-86.
With the loss, the Beavers even their record to 1-1 on the season while the Pioneers start the season 1-0.
For the Beavers, four players scored in double figures. Sophomore
Amir Assani finished with a double-double, grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds and 19 points. Sophomore
Yassine Sakhi netted a team-high 21 points to go with a game-high seven assists and six rebounds.
Off the bench, freshman
Bayame Bah poured in a season-high 13 points and two steals. Senior
Joey Leighton also played well off the bench for CCNY, picking up 12 points, three rebounds, and a steal in 23 minutes of action.
Junior
Dashaun Galloway added nine points, nine rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals. Freshman
Elijah Patterson tallied eight points and five boards.
The Beavers started the contest strong, connecting their first six out of eight shots to hold an 11-point lead (13-2) with 16:00 to go in the first half. A 10-4 run later in the period helped the Beavers extend their lead margin to 15 points (33-18) with 7:42 remaining.
Trailing by 14 points with under five minutes in half, William Paterson closed out the half on a fierce 16-2 run to tie the contest at 42-42 heading into halftime.
In the second half, both teams traded seven lead changes to start out the half. A three-pointer by William Paterson's Domenic Mignone with 15:23 to go helped spark a 9-0 scoring run for the Pioneers to jump out to a 10-point lead, 63-53.
CCNY would cut into William Paterson's lead on two occasions, narrowing their advantage to three points. Strong shooting lifted William Paterson to close out the game's final stretch, pulling a 100-86 victory over the Beavers.
Next, the CCNY men's basketball program returns to the Nat Holman Gymnasium for their 2021-22 home opener against Purchase College on Friday, Nov. 12 at 6:00 p.m.
