Wayne, NJ (01/15/03) - Senior forward Keyth Hardy (Plainfield, NJ/Middlesex) knocked down two free throws to put William Paterson ahead with 2:36 remaining and senior guard Shawn Blakewood (Newark, NJ/Barringer) canned two more with 15.7 seconds left to ice the game, as the Pioneers won their 12th straight game by beating No. 18-ranked Montclair State, 75-72, in overtime Wednesday at the Rec Center.

William Paterson (12-2, 6-1 NJAC) moved into a first-place tie in the New Jersey Athletic Conference while matching its longest victory run since 2001, when it played for the NCAA Division III national championship. Sophomore guard Tim Benoit (Roselle, NJ/Roselle Catholic) led all scorers with 17 points, while Hardy scored a career-high 16 points to go with eight rebounds and Blakewood notched a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds).

Montclair State (12-1, 6-1 NJAC) dropped its first game of the season despite getting 16 points apiece from freshman forward ANTWAN DOZIER (Pleasantville, NJ) and senior guard JOSEPH THOMAS (Linden, NJ) and 14 each from junior center JEROME TRAWICK (Newark, NJ/Clifford Scott) and senior guard BEN MARTINEZ (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood). Montclair State took a 33-23 halftime lead and claimed a 54-47 advantage with 10:33 remaining in regulation on a 3-pointer by Thomas. However, William Paterson battled back to forge a 64-all deadlock when Blakewood hit two free throws with 1:31 left. In overtime, Benoit knocked down a big 3-pointer to make it 71-69 with 2:55 remaining. A pair of free throws by Trawick tied the game at 71-71, but William Paterson took the lead for good on Hardy's two conversions from the charity stripe to make it 73-71 with 2:36 and never trailed again. Blakewood's two successes from the line with 15.7 seconds to go clinched the game.