PISCATAWAY, NJ–In the first game of the GMC Hoops Gold and Blue Division Doubleheader on Wednesday, Dunellen took on Piscataway Tech in a Gold Division Clash. PWay Tech’s Raiders had a chance to finish the regular season with at least a share of the GMC Gold. The Raiders came out to play in the first half by jumping out to a 34-19 late in the second period and after both teams exchanged threes, PWay Tech went into the locker room with a 37-22 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, the Raiders scored 11 of the first 20 points of the second including a four point play by Ali Austin to take a 48-31 advantage. However, Dunellen, which scored 23 points in the third including four threes and a three point play, began to close the gap with a 14-5 tear to pull within single digits by the end of the frame.
The Destroyers scored 7 of the first 9 points of the fourth to close the gap to 55-52 with under two minutes to play, but Austin and Daniel Peacock came up with big plays down the stretch to preserve the Raiders 61-52 win. Austin finished with a game high 26 points while German Pimentel added 12 and Khalil Smith chipped in with 10. Tyquan Fowler led Dunellen in a losing cause with 21 points while Nazire Jordan chipped in with 18. Below are game notes from the action:
First Quarter
Piscataway Tech jumps out to a 19-14 lead. The Raiders got six points each from Ali Austin and Khalil Smith while Romelo Spencer sank a three and Branden Barbes and Karan Singh added field goals. Tyquan Fowler led Dunellen with 6 points while Jibril Hagood-Henry chipped in with 4. The Raiders outscored the Destroyers by a 9-0 margin from beyond the arc. PWay Tech had 5 field goals and 3 treys in the frame. Dunellen had 5 field goals and went 4 of 4 from the line in the period.
Second Quarter
1:19–Arrive with Piscataway Tech leading 34-19. The Raiders open the 2nd on a 15-5 run.
1:10–DUN–Tyquan Fowler hits a three from the left wing off an inbounds play to close the gap to 34-22.
0:35–PWAYTECH–Ali Austin connects on a three from the right wing for a 37-22 advantage.
0:00–Game goes to the half with PWay Tech leading 37-22. Raiders outscored Dunellen by an 18-8 margin in the second. Both Ali Austin and German Pimentel scored 7 in the period for the Raiders. Nazire Jordan and Tyquan Fowler accounted for all the Destroyer scoring in the period with 5 and 3 points respectively. PWay Tech compiled its 18 points on 6 field goals, a three, and 3 of 5 from the foul line. Dunellen just had two threes and a field goal in the period. PWay Tech’s first half scoring: Ali Austin leads the Raiders with 13 while Khalil Smith added 8 and German Pimentel chipped in with 7. Dunellen’s first half scoring: Tyquan Fowler leads the Destroyers with 9. The Raiders had 11 field goals, 4 threes, and went 3 of 5 from the line in the first half while the Destroyers had 6 field goals, two threes, and went 4 of 4 from the line. PWay Tech had a 12-6 edge in points scored from beyond the arc in the first half.
Third Quarter
3:30 left in the third quarter and PWay Tech leads Dunellen 48-31 after this three by Ali Austin while being fouled for a 4 pt play. Raiders scored 11 of the first 20 points of the second half.
2:48 left in the third and Dunellen narrows the deficit to 48-36 after scoring the last five points including a high arching three by Nazire Jordan.
33.9 seconds left in the third and PWay Tech leads Dunellen 53-42 thanks in part to a steal for a two handed jam by German Pimentel.
0.0–Dunellen’s Tyquan Fowler fires in a three from the left wing before the buzzer to close the gap to 53-45. The Destroyers outscored the Raiders by a 23-16 margin in the third as they score more points in the period than in the entire first half. Dunellen outscored PWay Tech by a 15-6 margin from beyond the arc in the third. Nazire Jordan scored 12 of his points to the period while Tyquan Fowler chipped in with 9. Ali Austin led PWay Tech with 9. The Destroyers had 5 threes, 2 field goals, and made 4 of 7 from the foul line in the frame while the Raiders made 4 field goals, two threes, and sank 2 of 3 from the foul line.
Fourth Quarter
6:30 left in the game and PWay Tech calls time after a layup from underneath by Dunellen’s Nazire Jordan layup closes gap to 53-49.
2:10 left in the game and Dunellen calls time trailing 55-52. Tyquan Fowler sank a three to close the gap to a single possession. So far, the Destroyers have outscored the Raiders by a 7-2 margin in the fourth. Dunellen on a 21-7 surge over last 9:20 or so.
0:00–Game just ended with P-Way Tech pulling away for a 61-52 win. Raiders closed the game on a 6-0 run. Ali Austin connected on a runner from the left baseline and Daniel Peacock swiped a steal for a layup before Austin sank two foul shots to wrap it up. Peacock had two blocks down the stretch too. The Raiders had 3 field goals and made 2 of 4 from the line in the period while Dunellen had a three, a field goal, and made 2 of 3 from the charity stripe. Both teams combined for 14 threes with Dunellen finishing with a 24-18 edge from beyond the arc after having an 18-6 advantage in the 2nd half. For the game, PWay Tech had 18 field goals, 6 threes, and made 7 of 12 from the line for the game. Dunellen had 9 field goals, 8 threes, and made 10 of 14 from the charity stripe. Piscataway Tech’s scoring in the game: Ali Austin had game high with 26 points while German Pimentel added 12 and Khalil Smith chipped in with 10.Dunellen’s scoring in the contest: Tyquan Fowler led the Destroyers with 21 while Nazire Jordan chipped in with 18.