Ramapo College rallies for 94-86 win at Rutgers-Camden

The No. 19 ranked Ramapo College Roadrunners (12-0, 6-0 NJAC) are used to holding double digit halftime leads but on Wednesday night the Roadrunners found themselves on the wrong side down 61-41 to the Scarlet Raptors and in danger of their 11 game winning streak being snapped. Rutgers-Camden dominated in the statistics shooting 75 percent from the field and 9 of 14 from three-point range. To say Head Coach Chuck McBreen was not too please would be an understatement.

“It wasn’t pretty but fortunate to pull it out. We didn’t feel like playing in the first half and didn’t guard anybody. The last 10 minutes we got outscored 40 to 13 and an absolute disgrace. We had a session in that locker room that will stay in that locker room but obviously what was said got through to them. A credit to their character and believe in themselves and I don’t want to keep playing Russian Roulette.”

“They dug deep down inside themselves and figured it out on what they had to in the 2^nd half and proud they went about it and a lot worse the 19^th team goes down to Camden playing an 0-8 team and clip us and turns our season and in the wrong direction and hurry. At the end of the day we did the things the way Ramapo basketball does it in the 2^nd half and if we were playing TCNJ or New Jersey City we are not recovering from that deficit.”

Ramapo College came out blazing to start the second half going on an 18-0 run tying the game up at 65-65 with 13 minutes remaining. The Roadrunners defense clamped down holding Rutgers-Camden to 6 total points in the first 7:22 and eventually taking their first lead of the contest at 70-67 with 11 minutes on the clock. Rutgers-Camden would respond with a 10-0 run only to see the Roadrunners charge back with an 11-0 run.

Down 86-83 with less than four minutes left in the game, the trio of junior forward Christopher Moseley, senior forward Sultan Aminu and senior guard Cory Soanes came through in the clutch. A lay-up and free throw by Soanes tied the game up with 3:22 and Aminu made a lay-up and free throw putting the Roadrunners up 89-86 for good with 2:21 remaining. Overall Ramapo knocked down 19 of 27 free throws from the line and forced the Scarlet Raptors into 22 turnovers that led to 32 points for the Roadrunners.

“Those guys came on down the stretch, made some plays and got some stops,” said Chuck McBreen. “We made 5 of 6 free throws to close out the game and get it to 8 points,”

Junior forward Thomas Bonacum led the team in scoring with 21 points while Moseley and Aminu delivered 17 points apiece and junior forward Nick Stanek added 12 points.

The Roadrunners return home to the Bradley Center on Saturday where they will face The College of New Jersey(8-4, 5-1 NJAC) at 3:00 p.m. Ramapo was knocked out of the first round of the 2016 NJAC tournament by the Lions 105-95. TCNJ was sizzling from beyond the arc draining 13 three-point shots.

“The last time we played them they shot the lights out and scored 105, we didn’t guard anybody, fell behind and playing catch-up all night,” McBreen said. “They are a tough team and have a pre-season All-American at the point guard and arguably best 4-5 combination.”