Mahwah, NJ: For the first time in the last five years, the Ramapo College women's basketball team defeated the Ospreys of Richard Stockton College. Sophomore Stephanie Cannizzaro (Pequannock, NJ) led the Roadrunners to a 66-65 victory today at the Bradley Center in a New Jersey Athletic Conference match-up. Ramapo earns their first conference win improving to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the conference. The Ospreys stand at 1-6 overall and remain defeated in the conference at 0-2. The last time Ramapo defeated Stockton was during the 2002-2003 season, when they earned a 71-66 victory on February 22nd at the Athletic Center.

Cannizzaro finished the game with a team high 17 points, shooting 6-16 from the field, while Tiffany China (West Orange, NJ) and Malika Gilliam (Roselle, NJ) recorded 11 and ten points respectively. Sophomore Brittany Hoffman (Belford, NJ) dished out four assists and rookie Mallory Cornett (Hawthorne, NJ) grabbed five steals in the win. The team combined hitting 19-51 (37%) while the Ospreys knocked down 23 of their 55 attempts (42%). LaTonya Oliver (West Berlin, NJ) hit 7-13 from the field, including 7-9 from the charity stripe, leading the Ospreys with 21 points. Oliver grabbed nine boards and added two steals in the game. Ashley Hart (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ) and Aliyah Nelson (Pleasantville, NJ) netted 11 and ten points respectively.

A jumper from Cannizzaro started the game and after the Ospreys sunk a jumper of their own, the Roadrunners put together a 7-2 mini-run to go up five, 9-4 with 16:45 on the clock. Over the next three minutes, the two teams would go back and forth until a jumper from China at 13:26, sparked another mini run, 5-0, giving the Roadrunners a ten point advantage with 10:56 to play. The Ospreys answered with a 4-0 run of their own with a jumper from Kelley Guarrera (Shamong, NJ), and a free throw each from Alyssa Reiter (Sewell, NJ) and Monique Garcia (Atlantic City, NJ), put Stockton within six points, 20-14. Lindsey Gripenburg (Bloomingdale, NJ) hit a basket from the charity stripe and Oliver answered with a jump shot to bring the game within five points, 21-16, with 8:21 left in the half. The Roadrunners used the next two minutes to take a 27-16 edge, and the Ospreys used the final six minutes of the half to slowly chip away on Ramapo's lead. Oliver sparked the run sinking an and-one play and the Ospreys held the Roadrunners to only four points heading into the intermission just three points behind Ramapo, 31-28. The Roadrunners combined hitting 11-29 (38%), led by China who sunk eight points in the half. Cannizzaro added seven first half points. Oliver and Aliyah Nelson led the Ospreys with seven and six points respectively, while the team went 11-29 (38%) from the field.

The Ospreys dominated the opening 3:10 of the second half, tying the ballgame, 35-35, after Oliver hit a jumper with 16:50 on the clock, and their first lead of the game came with 13:44 remaining when Reiter hit a two-point goal to go up, 41-40. Hart threw down a three-pointer 30 seconds later to go up, 44-42. The game remained in Ramapo's favor over the next four minutes, working their way to a six point lead at 9:11 when Cannizzaro sunk the back end of a two-shot foul. Stockton again worked their way back into the game taking the lead again at 5:43, when Oliver hit two free throws to go up, 57-56. The lead changed three times in the final minutes with Ramapo coming out on top in the final seconds, 66-65. With 57 seconds left on the clock, Garcia hit a two-point goal to come within two, 65-63, and Oliver followed with a jump shot of her own to tie the game for the ninth time, 65-65, with 37 seconds to play. The Ospreys fouled Cannizzaro with 19 seconds to play, who hit the front end of a two-shot foul, and another Osprey foul with two seconds to go, put Cornett on the line. Cornett missed both shots, but the Roadrunners' strong defense kept Stockton from getting off a shot, earning the one-point victory. Ramapo hit only eight field goals in the second half going 8-22 (36%) while the Ospreys netted 12-26 (42%) from the field.

The Roadrunners take on FDU-Florham in a non-conference match-up on Tuesday, December 9th at 6:00 PM at the Bradley Center while the Opreys take on Nuemann College on Tuesday, December 16th in Pomona at 7:00 PM.