WORCESTER, Mass. – Junior forward Myles McLeod scored 18 of his team-high 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor as the William Paterson University men's basketball team scored 51 second-half points in an 86-79 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University in the opening round of the Ted Coghlin Memorial Tournament Friday night at Harrington Auditorium.

Eastern (0-1, last year's tournament champion, faces SUNY Potsdam (1-1) in Saturday's 1 p.m. consolation game. The Bears lost to host WPI (2-0), 86-71, in Friday's first first-round game.

McLeod managed only two points in the first half but rebounded in the second, leading the way as Paterson (2-1) shot 70.4 from the floor and 10-of-12 from the stripe  in the second half en route to a 51-point second half to overcome a two-point halftime deficit.

Junior guard Carlos Gonzalez (Springfield, MA) led Eastern with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor (4-of-6 three-pointers). He also had five steals and three rebounds. Junior guard Jake Collagan (Wethersfield) and sophomore guard Cory Muckle (Westbrook) each added 17 points. 

Behind its torrid second-half shooting, William Paterson shot a blistering 57.9 percent from the floor in the game. Eastern shot 44.1 percent from the field and 50 percent (13-of-26) from the foul line.

The Pioneers reserves outscored Eastern's reserves 20-9.