Mahwah, NJ: For the third time under the direction of Head Coach Chuck McBreen, and in the history of the program, the Ramapo College men's basketball team was crowned NJAC Champions tonight at the Bradley Center with a 67-65 victory over the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers Newark. With the championship, the Roadrunners earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA DIII Championship tournament which commences next weekend.

It was a close game until the final minutes as Rutgers Newark had a last shot opportunity with two seconds to go, but it was Ramapo who prevailed behind 20 points from senior Will Sanborn, and 16 second half points from Anthony LoRusso. LoRusso collected 17 points on the night, as the team combined hitting 21-53 (40%) from the floor. Senior Garret Thiel pulled down a team-high ten rebounds and dished out a team-high four assists.

Rutgers Newark opened the game on a six-point run after John Snow hit a jump shot to start the game, and Christian Garcia collected two of his own to cap off the run with 17:16 on the clock. Senior Elgin Brown finally got Ramapo on the board at 17 flat, coming out of a Roadrunner timeout. Brown closed the gap to one point on an and-one play at 16:05, and Sanborn gave the Roadrunners the lead, 7-6 with 15:43 to play. After the game's first tie, 8-8, at 13:11, Mark Moorman kick started a nine point run to put the Scarlet Raiders ahead, 17-8 with 10:45 to play. The Roadrunners responded with a 9-0 run of their own to tie the game at 17, with Sanborn capping off the run with a three-point goal. Off a steal by Elvonney Poole, Brown took a dish from Sanborn to take a 19-17 advantage with 7:26 left in the half, forcing a Rutgers Newark time out. The two teams traded baskets over the next two plus minutes, coming to another tie, 23-23, after the front end of a two-shot foul from LoRusso falls with 5:03 to go. In the final minutes of the first half, Rutgers Newark pushed to a five-point edge with 2:55 to play, as Hussein Abdelmaksoud nailed a jump shot to go ahead, 29-24. Thiel hit a jumper and a free throw, and Rutgers Newark's Al'Don Muhammad sank a basket from the charity stripe to put the two teams in the locker room separated by three points, Rutgers Newark leading 30-27. David Azoroh led all Scarlet Raiders with seven points, shooting 2-3, as the team hit a combined 13-33 (39%). Sanborn led the Roadrunners hitting 5-11 with two three-point goals, collecting 12 points in the first half. The Roadrunners went 10-26 (39%) as a team.

Rutgers Newark got on the board first in the second half and worked their way to a seven point advantage at 18:42 and 18:03 with baskets from Fateen Belfield and Snow respectively. Thiel put Ramapo within one point, 39-40, at 16:25, before a three-point goal from Sanborn with 14:13 on the clock, tied the game for the fifth time, 42-42. Sanborn drained a second three point goal just 30 seconds later, off a dish from Thiel, to take a 45-42 edge. The Roadrunners held onto a slight lead over the next three minutes until a free throw from Snow, at 10:58, tied the game at 48. Ramapo jumped ahead with free throws and a layup from LoRusso, 52-48, before two straight Rutgers Newark baskets put the two teams knotted for the seventh time, 52-52 with 7:14 on the clock. An eighth tie came with 6:14 to play, 54-54, before a free throw from Snow gave the Scarlet Raiders a 55-54 lead. LoRusso followed with an and-one play to jump ahead 57-55 before Treadwell nailed down two baskets from the charity stripe and Thiel collected two points, to put the Roadrunners up, 61-55 with 4:43 to play. With Ramapo leading 65-60, Muhammad drained a three-point goal to close the gap, 65-63, before a foul on Ramapo's Brown put him at the line, hitting two, to go ahead by four, 67-63, with 1:13 left in the game. Azoroh closed the gap to 65-77 with 41 seconds and after a Ramapo turnover with ten seconds to play, the ball was in Rutgers Newark hands. Muhammad's last effort three-pointer with two ticks left on the clock, hit the rim but fell short giving Ramapo the two-point win. LoRusso collected 16 points in the second half as Ramapo combined hitting 11-27 (41%) while Rutgers Newark went 15-32 (47%) behind ten points from Muhammad.

Muhammad finished the night with a team-high 15 points and Snow and Azoroh chipped in 12 as the Scarlet Raiders hit a combined 28-65 (43%). Abdelmaksoud pulled down 12 rebounds.

The Roadrunners await news on their NCAA seeding which is being released Monday at 12:30.