NEWARK, NJ - NJCAA Division II member, Essex County College used a 21-0 run to open the second half and blow open a tight contest, defeating Northampton 103-69 on Tuesday evening at the Knight Center.

The Spartans trailed nationally-ranked Essex by 3 at halftime, but the Wolverines opened the second half with a furious rally to put the game out of reach, "Essex is very talented," commented Northampton Head Coach Kevin Foley, "these are good games for us, playing this type of team really helps us come playoff time."

Andrew Miller led Northampton with 23 points, while Malcolm Lyles added 14.

Northampton ends the first semester with a record of 10-4 overall (6-1 in conference).

Essex, ranked 14th in the nation in Division II, improves to 12-1 overall.

Northampton returns to action on January 12th when they travel to beautiful Herkimer, NY to face the nationally-ranked Generals.