Mahwah, NJ: Junior Ahmad Hassan led the Roadrunners to a 70-60 victory tonight at the Bradley Center in a non-conference men's basketball match-up, with 19 points. Ramapo opens the year at 1-0 overall while York falls to 0-1.
Hassan shot 8-19 from the field, and hit three three-point shots leading the team to their first victory of the 2010-2011 season on opening night. Hassan chipped in six rebounds and two assists while Anthony LoRusso and Travis Conyers each contributed ten points to the win. The team combined for 26 field goals on 72 attempts shooting 36% on the night. York went 20-53 (38%) with 13 points from William Holley. Marcel Esonwune led the Cardinals with 21 points and 13 boards, including 11 defensive boards, while also leading the team with two assists.
In the first three minutes and 18 seconds of the game, the two teams traded baskets for a 5-5 tie, before a 14-0 run put Ramapo up, 19-5. In the run, Hassan hit back-to-back three-pointers, split by a jump shot from Peterkin and a layup from Conyers. York responded with an 8-2 run of their own to close the gap, 21-13, before LoRusso took a pass from Conyers and sunk a three-point basket to go up 24-13 with 9:29 left to play. For the remainder of the half, the Cardinals chipped away at Ramapo's lead coming within five points at the halftime buzzer, 38-33. Esonwune and Shamir Wilkinson each contributed five points in the final minutes of the half.
Ramapo shot 16-40 (40%) behind 12 points from Hassan and six from LoRusso. Conyers dished out three assists and while Stephon Treadwell pulled down five rebounds. York's Esonwune led the way with nine points and four boards while Wilkinson added eight points of his own in the half. The Cardinals combined for 13 field goals on 29 attempts shooting 45% in the half.
Garret Thiel opened the second half with a three-point basket for Ramapo and after a York basket, Hassan sunk his third three-point goal of the game to put Ramapo up, 46-35 with just under 18 minutes to play. For the next seven minutes, the Roadrunners kept a comfortable edge over the Cardinals, extending to 12 points on three occasions. But with 10:42 to play, York went on a 6-0 run capped off by a jumper from Esonwune to close the gap to six points, 53-47. The Cardinals would come within three points with seven minutes to play, 55-52, before the Roadrunners again worked their way to a double-digit lead, 67-56 with a good basket and an and-one shot from Conyers. Ramapo held on in the final minutes to earn the 70-60 victory.
Hassan and Thiel chipped in seven points each in the final half, combining for five of the team's ten field goals in the half. Ramapo shot 10-32 (31%) while York hit 7-24 (29%). Esonwune recorded a team high 12 points and nine rebounds.
The Roadrunners return to action on Saturday, November 20th when they host Salve Regina, SUNY Maritime, and Yeshiva in the Annual Tip-Off Tournament at the Bradley Center. Opening game tips off at 5:30pm.