Ramapo College bounces back in win against Stockton

Returning to the hardwood court after the Thanksgiving break, the Ramapo College Roadrunners were feeling good about themselves sporting a 5-0 record heading into Wednesday’s NJAC match-up at Montclair State. A close contest the majority of the first half, the Red Hawks closed it out with a barrage of three pointers taking a double-digit lead at the halftime.

The second half would not fare any better as Montclair State continued to shoot lights out from beyond the arc widening the margin on their way to a 95-70 rout. The Red Hawks had five players score in double figures, shot near 50 percent from the game and knocked down 13 triples.

Ramapo College Head Coach McBreen on Wednesday’s loss, “That was not typical Ramapo basketball, we were in the game with four or five minutes left in the first half, a five point game and they ended on a 11-2 run and sealed the deal. We got it to 12 in the second half but they called a technical on (Jason) Battle and stopped momentum and never really got back in the game and over at that point. We got pummeled on the glass which was the key reason we lost.”

Looking to bounce back from the first loss of the season, the Roadrunner welcomed in Stockton to the Bradley Center on Saturday afternoon. Wasting no time jumping out to a 38-24 lead at the break, Ramapo College kept the pedal to the mat in the second half for the 77-50 victory. Rob Lewis led the Roadrunners in scoring with 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while Rob McWilliams added 16 points, Kashaun Barnes chipped in with 12 and Andre Morgan contributed 13. Ramapo shot 50 percent from the field while sinking 15 of 17 free throws.

“I wasn’t happy about the turnovers but pretty much Ramapo numbers as far as the backboards and points in the paint and a good situation to see how we would respond to adversity and got a glimpse of how we responded,” said McBreen. “We bounced back and have to go from here and learn from our mistakes. The bottom line is we’re going as far as Rob Lewis, Rob McWilliams and Barnes take us. They have had ups and downs but also spectacular games.”

“We’re struggling to find consistency and continue to work hard at with so many new faces and work in progress. When you lose five starters and Pat Peterson and had a lot to overcome. Now if you could have told me before the year started we would be 6-1 after seven games I think I would have signed for that. We’re 30-1 at home and the Bradley Center has been really good to us and if we’re going to make noise in this race we’re going to keep that momentum and continue to have success in our building.”

The Roadrunners get back to work on Wednesday night against Kean (1-6, 0-3 NJAC) with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. On Saturday Ramapo will travel down to Rowan for a 1:00 p.m. start.

“Everybody in the NJAC wants to beat Ramapo no matter what teams’ records are,” McBreen said. “We have a bulls eye on our backs and give their best efforts to beat us. If we don’t come to play we’re going to get picked off.”