WAYNE, N.J. – Hunter trailed No. 22 William Paterson by just four points at halftime but the Pioneers utilized a 10-0 second half run to distance the Hawks en route to a 71-53 victory on Wednesday evening at the William Paterson Rec Center.

The Hawks dropped to 4-4 on the year while the Pioneers improved to 8-0. Mark Courtien led the Hawks with 12 points while Terry Carpenter registered a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Anthony Uter had an impressive game, tallying 11 points, four blocks and five steals.

With William Paterson holding a nine point lead with 6:50 left in the first half, the Hawks got to work trimming the deficit down to two as Hunter went on a 9-2 run across the next five minutes to make it a 27-25 ballgame with just under a minute to play. The Pioneers would pick up a quick bucket before the break with nine seconds left to extend the lead to four, leading the Hawks 29-25.

William Paterson built its lead to 12 points in the first five minutes of the second half but the Hawks battled back again. Hunter trimmed the lead down to just five points (48-43) with 11:37 remaining but would get no closer as the Pioneers sparked a 10-0 run in the next 2:20 to push ahead 58-43 at the 9:17 mark. The Pioneers maintained control of the contest from there, closing out for the 71-53 victory.  

The Hawks finished the night shooting just 37.9% from the field but were 68.4% from the free-throw line, after an impressive second half in which Hunter connected on 11-13 (84.6%) shots taken.

Hunter returns to action next Tuesday, December 13 when they host Rutgers-Newark in the Hunter Sportsplex at 7pm.