CAREER DAY FOR PAULINO LEADS EXPRESS OVER NITTANY LIONS
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wells (19-6) | 35 | 47 | 82 |
|
Penn St.-Harrisburg (15-10) | 24 | 46 | 70 |
Harrisburg, Pa.– Senior Juan Paulino (Bronx, N.Y./Finger Lake C.C.) showed why he was one of the best players in the country Sunday afternoon scoring 36 points, while single handedly out rebounding rival Penn. St. Harrisburg (15-10), 27 to 20, as the Wells College Express (19-6) cruised over the Nittany Lions 82-70 in the final game of the regular season for both clubs. Paulino set career highs in points, rebounds, and field goals made (14) on the day, while leading the Express to their sixth straight win.
Darrell Bullock (Chicago/Olive Harvery C.C.) and Greg Jones (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) rounded out the scoring for the Express with 16 points each.
Kenny Stone led four Nittany Lions in double figures with 16 points, Nick Liddell scored 15, while Jordan Gatchall and Dustin Collins chipped in with 13 and 12 points respectively.
Leading 15-14 with 12:20 remaining in the half, the Express would go on a 17-4 run, including 12 straight points over a two minute span, giving Wells a 14 point lead with 2:41 remaining. The Nittany Lions would trim the lead to 11 just before halftime as Wells would hold the lead, 35-24, at the break.
The Express could not miss from the floor in the second half, shooting 65 percent. Paulino led the way in the half tallying 26 of his 36 points in the second stanza as it was all Wells the entire way.
The nation's leader in rebounds per game and field goal percentage has not disappointed over the final five games of the regular season. Paulino is averaging 25.2 points per game, 22.4 rebounds per game, while shooting an incredible .716 from the floor.
The win locks up the second overall seed in the upcoming North Eastern Athletic Conference tournament set to begin on Friday (Feb. 26.) at Penn. St. Harrisburg in Harrisburg, Pa. The official tournament schedule is set to be released on Monday afternoon. The Express will look to avenge last year's 79-48 championship loss to the SUNY IT Wildcats that kept them from their first NCAA tournament appearance.
