Wednesday, January 19, 2011 (Men's Basketball)

#20 RAMAPO HOLDS ON IN FINAL SECONDS, OUTLASTS NJCU, 77-76

MAHWAH, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | It came down to the final seconds but the upset was not in the cards for the New Jersey City University men's basketball team. Ramapo College, ranked No. 20 in Division III by D3hoops.com, never led by more than three points all night, but got a tip-in basket with seven seconds remaining and a game-winning shot in the closing seconds did not fall as NJCU suffered its seventh loss by four or fewer points this year, losing to the Roadrunners by one, 77-76, n a New Jersey Athletic Conference men's basketball game on Wednesday evening at the Bill Bradley Center.  There were 17 lead changes and 10 ties in the game.

Ramapo (15-3, 6-0 NJAC), the preseason conference favorite, remains undefeated in the conference while snapping NJCU's four-game winning streak; the Gothic Knights drop to 7-7 (2-3 NJAC). The Knights—voted as the Dark Horse in the conference this year—have now lost seven games by a mere 17 points, including four games decided by two or less.

NJCU leads the all-time series, 59-18 but the Roadrunners, who shot 54.5 percent (18-33) in the second half to overcome a 10-point, 39-29 halftime deficit, have won the last three meetings in Mahwah.

NJCU, leading 76-75 with 43 seconds remaining, had a chance to run the clock down but committed a turnover with 17 seconds left, giving Ramapo possession. After a timeout, Ramapo junior guard Anthony LoRusso (Mahwah, NJ/Don Bosco Prep) drove down court but missed a layup which rolled over the rim. However, junior center LaQuan Peterkin (Paterson, NJ/John F. Kennedy) followed the shot and tipped in the rebound with seven seconds remaining.

The Knights called timeout with three seconds to go but a game-winning opportunity by senior guard JAMES LIVINGSTON (Trenton, NJ/Trenton Central) would not fall.

The Knights lost despite five players scoring in double figures, highlighted by senior point guard DA'SHON BARRINO (Newark, NJ/Malcolm X. Shabazz), who finished with 16 points (7-16 FG) and two steals. Junior point guard KEITH WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter), who currently ranks No. 2 in the country in steals, finished with 12 points, three assists and two steals. He made 2-of-4 from three-point distance and 6-of-8 from the line, but missed his four attempts inside the arc.

Junior center JOSH HOSANG (Hackensack, NJ/Palm Beach Central (Fla.)) scored 11 points (5-8 FG) in 21 minutes. Sophomore forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) registered his third consecutive double digit scoring effort, finishing with 10 points (3-4 FG) and 4-of-4 free throws, adding five rebounds. He has now made 19 of his last 20 foul shots.

Sophomore guard ASHMERE WILSON (Newark, NJ/Weequahic) totaled 10 points (4-6 FG)—his sixth double-figure effort of the year without making a start. Livingston had five assists for NJCU. Senior forward TOM McDERMOTT (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) provided seven points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Junior guard Ahmad Hassan (Edgewater, NJ/Leonia) had 15 of his game-high 23 points in the second half for Ramapo, shooting 10-of-20 from the floor (1-7 3FG) with three assists. Sophomore guard Will Sanborn (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Regional) had 19 points (7-14 FG) and seven rebounds off the bench. Junior forward Elgin Brown (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) collected a double-double of 11 rebounds and 10 points (4-10 FG).

Also for RCNJ, Peterkin totaled 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, with nine rebounds and four blocks. LoRusso had seven points and seven assists.

The two teams traded baskets in the opening ten plus minutes and the lead changed five times before NJCU, trailing 17-14, unleashed a 16-1 run to spark a 30-18 lead with 4:56 left in the period. Barrino, Hosang and Wilson each netted two buckets during the spurt. Hassan had a three-point play and another three-point field goal in a span of 16 seconds to cut the lead to five (34-29) but the Knights scored the final five points of the half and led 39-29 at the intermission.

Ramapo opened the second half on a 12-3 run to pull within one, 42-41, after Hassan sank five points and Sanborn hit a three. A tip-in by Sanborn at 13:42 put RCNJ in front, 45-44—its first lead since the 8:39 mark of the first half.

A see-saw battle ensued and after the game's seventh tie, 53-53, NJCU continued pouring in points for a 9-1 run that was capped when Barrino buried a three with 9:42 to go and converted a steal into a fast break layup at 9:28 for a 60-54 edge.

The Roadrunners again responded as Brown scored four of the next six for the hosts who tied the game for the eighth time, 60-60, with just over seven minutes to play. 

In the final seven minutes of play, the lead changed nine times. Hassan's layup made it 62-60 before NJCU scored seven straight—a three by Williams, jumper by Albright and layup by senior shooting guard ROB ROBINSON (East Orange, NJ/Malcolm X. Shabazz) allowed the Knights to claim a 67-62 margin with 5:24 to go. Sanborn cut it to one, 68-67, with a trey with 4:46 to play and a jumper by Hassan 33 seconds later put RCNJ up, 69-68.

Williams made two foul shots at 3:50 before Hassan followed with a jumper for a 71-70 lead (2:43). Wilson sank two more free throws at 2:24 for a 72-71 NJCU edge and Sanborn and McDermott traded buckets as NJCU clung to a 74-73 cushion with 1:34 to play. McDermott grabbed two defensive rebounds off missed shots by Hassan and Sanborn, but twice committed a turnover, including with 43 seconds remaining. Hosang extended NJCU's lead to 76-73 with a jumper at the 56 second mark. But Brown made two foul shots to draw Ramapo within one, 76-75, with 43 ticks left, leading up to the final 17-second sequence.

NJCU visits Glassboro, NJ on Saturday, January 22 at 3 p.m. when it meets Rowan University in an NJAC contest.

—www.njcugothicknights.com—