MAHWAH, N.J.--Ty Nichols scored a career high 32 points and Jake Collagan hit the go-ahead three pointer with 45 seconds to go as the Keene State College men's basketball team upset No. 5 Ramapo College to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Championship at the Bradley Center on Saturday night.

Records

• Keene State: 21-9
• Ramapo: 26-3

How it Happened

The Owls survived a raucous home crowd and three starters fouling out to reach the round of 16 for the second straight year and fourth time in school history.  Nichols scored his 32 points on 12-for-22 shooting with seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals, while Matt Ozzella pumped in 22 points and pulled down 12 boards.  Jaquel Edwards added 16 points and six rebounds and Jimmy Layman came off the bench to pull down eight rebounds, tying a career high.

Down five points with 2:43 left in overtime, Nichols splashed a three from the right win to cut the lead to two, and after Ramapo's Nick Stanek made a jumper to restore a four point lead, Edwards coolly drained two free throws to make it 91-89.  Both teams traded misses before Nichols fed Collagan just to the right of the corner, and the freshman sank only his second field goal of the game with 45.6 seconds left to put the Owls in front for good.   Ramapo's Patrick Peterson missed two shots in the final 31 seconds and Nichols grabbed the final rebound of the game as KSC left New Jersey with easily the biggest win of the season.

The Owls had had a slow start, missing their first four shots as Ramapo rolled out to an 8-0 lead.   Keene State responded with an 18-4 run, capped by a pair of free throws by Ozzella, to take an 18-12 lead with 12:32 left in the half.  The Roadrunners hit back with a run of their own, outscoring KSC 16-6 to go up 28-24 on Josh Ford's jumper with 4:29 left, and took a 37-32 lead into the halftime break when Stanek hit a three from the top of the key with 10 seconds to go.

Ramapo started to pull away in the second half, getting back-to-back baskets from James Long and Josh Ford for a 47-38 lead, and Long sank a pair of free throws for a 51-40 lead with 14:27 left in the half.  Layman drained a three from the right wing to kickstart the Owls offense, as Edwards knocked down a three pointer, then Ozzella converted a three point play before hitting a three of his own and in less than three minutes, the lead was cut to one.

Like in Friday night's win over Amherst, the Owls continued to trade punches;  Ramapo went up 68-65 on Thomas Bonacum's three with 6:06 left, but Nichols sliced into the lane on consecutive possessions for a 69-68 lead.  Ford's jumper made it 78-76 with 1:41 left, but Nichols found Ozzella for another three that made it 79-78 with 32 seconds to go.  Bonacum put Ramapo back on top by converting a three point play with 19 seconds left, but Edwards forced overtime with a layup that dropped with .02 seconds to go.  

In the extra period, Stanek opened with a three pointer, and Bonacum's three gave Ramapo an 89-84 lead before Nichols and Collagan won the game for KSC.

Stanek led six Ramapo players in double-figures with 17 points; Bonacum and Ford each had 14, while Christopher Moseley had 13, Peterson 11, and Sultan Aminu had 10.

In the Paint

• The win not only brought the Owls into the Sweet 16 for the third time in school history, but recreated nearly the exact scenario by which the Owls advanced in 2016.  Last season, Keene State needed overtime to eliminate Stockton of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, then beat Middlebury of the NESCAC in the second round.  Fast forward a year later, and only the order of the games was reversed, as KSC took down Amherst of the NESCAC on Friday, then Ramapo of the NJAC in overtime tonight.
• Nichols' 32 points were the most scored by an Owl player this season, surpassing Ozzella's 31 scored against Springfield on November 22.  It also set the school record for most points scored in an NCAA tournament game.
• Keene State improved to 2-0 in overtime games this season.
• When they take the floor against Christopher Newport next Friday, Matt Ozzella and Jaquel Edwards will play in their 114th career game at Keene State, breaking the career record for games played set by Tyler Kathan '09. 

Up Next

• Keene State will get a chance to face the team that eliminated them at this stage a year ago, as the Owls will be matched up against No. 2 Christopher Newport University on Friday evening at a time and place to be determined.  Sites for the sectional semifinals and finals will be announced on Sunday.  Also playing at that site will be No. 3 Babson and No. 15 Tufts.
• Ramapo ends its season.