Mahwah, NJ: The Lady Roadrunners opened the 2010-2011 basketball season tonight at the Bradley Center when they played host to the Screaming Eagles of St. Elizabeth College posting a 60-43 victory. Behind a double-double from Danielle Beam, the Roadrunners open the year at 1-0. St. Elizabeth opens the season at 0-1.
Beam recorded 16 points shooting 6-10 from the field, leading the Roadrunners, who led the Screaming Eagles for the entire 40 minutes of play. Beam also grabbed a team high ten rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Alexa Ryan shot 4-8 netting ten points dishing out a team high five assists and Micaele Moore finished the night with eight points and eight rebounds. The team combined hitting 24-56 (43%) from the field. Maesoon Deeb sunk 21 points and Sabrina Jarmolinski contributed 14 for St. Elizabeth. Anastasia Feola led the way in assists with five while her team went 19-63 (30%) from the field.
With 16:36 to play in the first half, Hoffman hit a three-point shot to put the Roadrunners up, 7-2 forcing a St. Elizabeth time out. Ramapo continued to extend their lead to 11-2 with back-to-back baskets from Tiffany Osorio and Lindsey Gripenburg, before the Screaming Eagles got on the board with a free throw from Diane DaSilva. The Screaming Eagles scored six straight points to close the gap to 11-9 before Ryan hit the back-end of a two shot foul to take a 12-9 edge. Over the next few minutes Ramapo continued to spread the gap going on a 15-5 run, capped off by a basket from Gripenburg, to take a 27-14 lead with 5:01 to play in the half. Ramapo held the Screaming Eagles to only two more points in the final minutes heading into the locker room with a 35-16 lead.
Ramapo hit 14-28 (50%) in the first 20 minutes of play behind seven points from Gripenburg and six points each from Brittany Hoffman and Beam. Ryan contributed three assists and Beam recorded two blocks in the half. Deeb led the Screaming Eagles with seven points shooting 3-11 from the field and Cheyenne Grant dished out three assists and grabbed four rebounds for the team.
Five minutes into the second half, Ryan hit a three-point basket to give Ramapo a 20-point, 42-22 advantage, which they extended to 24 with a jump shot from Beam with 7:44 to play. St. Elizabeth slowly began to chip away on Ramapo's lead coming within 15 (54-39) with 2:51 on the clock, when Jarmolinski hit a jump shot after grabbing the offensive board. In the final minutes the Roadrunners outscored the Screaming Eagles, 6-4 to earn the 60-43 non-conference victory on opening night. Beam recorded ten points and seven rebounds in the half while Ryan chipped in seven points of her own. Ramapo went 10-28 (36%) from the field ahead of the Screaming Eagles 12-37 (32%). Deeb led St. Elizabeth with 14 second half points and Jarmolinski added ten.
The Roadrunners return to action on Friday, November 19th when they host Medgar Evers, Old Westbury, and Penn-State Abington at the Annual Roadrunner Tip-Off Tournament held at the Bradley Center commencing at 5:30pm. The College of St.Elizabeth takes on Wells College at home at 1pm on Saturday.