RAMAPO DOWN BY 13, FIGHT TO TAKE GAME BY TWO, 77-75
Mahwah, NJ: The Ramapo College men’s basketball team opened the NJAC season tonight at the Bradley Center in Mahwah hosting the Ospreys of Richard Stockton College. The Roadrunners posted a 77-75 victory opening the NJAC season at 1-0. Ramapo remains undefeated at 4-0 overall while the Ospreys record their first loss of the year falling to 3-1 overall, 0-1 in the conference.
Ramapo jumped out ahead and grabbed a ten point lead just six minutes in before Stockton went on a 8-0 run to take a 24-21 lead with 6:43 left to go when Stanley Branch (Atlantic City, NJ) hit a jumper for his sixth point of the game. Branch rounded out the final minutes netting nine more points including two dunks to push Stockton ahead by 12, 45-33 at the intermission. Stockton hit 19-32, 59%, from the field while Ramapo completed only 13 of their 32 attempts, 41%. Antoine Pryor (Elizabeth, NJ) led the Roadrunners with 11 and Ahmad Mosby (Jersey City, NJ) netted ten of his own while Branch posted 15 leading the Ospreys. Branch also posted a team high five steals in the first 20 minutes of play.
Ramapo fell behind by 13 in the final half of play when Stockton took complete control hitting 44% of their shots. Ramapo shot only 38% in the half but fought from behind traveling down a 7-0 run with about 11 minutes to play and a 10-0 run with just under three minutes to go sparked by a three-pointer by Pryor and a dunk by junior Shawn Frost (Newark, NJ) respectively. Strong performances came from Pryor and Omar Alston (Carteret, NJ) who wrapped up the final minutes pushing Ramapo above Stockton, 77-75 topped off by a last second tip-in by Alston to take the game with one second on the clock..
Mosby and Pryor wrapped up the night on top of Ramapo netting 25 and 17 respectively. Mosby dished out seven assists and Pryor added three of his own in the win. Alston recorded a double-double in the win sinking 16 points and 11 rebounds and Frost netted 11 for the team. Ramapo finished the night, 28-71 (39%) while the Ospreys hit 30-57, (53%).
For the Ospreys, Branch concluded the night with a season high 24 points hitting 10-16 including two three-pointers and Mario Lancioni (Runnemede, NJ) and Jordan Krzeczkowski (Lanoka Harbor, NJ) each recorded ten points in the loss. Jon Greene (Wildwood, NJ) pulled down a team high 13 boards and dished out three assists.
Ramapo returns to action on Thursday, November 30th, when they travel to NY City Tech for a 6:00 PM non-conference match-up while Stockton hosts Rutgers Newark at 2:00 PM in Pomona.