Mahwah, NJ:  The Ramapo College women's basketball team earned their first berth in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament since the 1992-93 season with a 63-41 victory over the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers Newark tonight at the Bradley Center.  The Roadrunners improve to 11-14 overall, 4-9 in the NJAC, while earning the #3 seed of the North Division.  With the loss, Rutgers Newark wraps up the season at 8-17 overall, 2-11 in the conference.

In the opening half, rookie Alexa Ryan (Hazlet, NJ) netted ten points hitting 3-6 from the field, after hitting a jump shot at 3:35 to give the Roadrunners a 13-point, 30-17 lead, and a three point shot with 1:31 left in the half to go up 15, their biggest lead of the first 20 minutes of play.  Ryan led an offensive attack pushing a 24-12 run to round out the first period with her first point of the game at 12:59.  She shot 2-2 from behind the three-point arc.  The team combined hitting 12-25 from the field (48%), while the Scarlet Raiders were held to eight baskets on 21 attempts, 38%.  Martyna Ruminska (Kearny, NJ) led Rutgers Newark with 12 first half points hitting 4-6 from the field and 2-2 from behind the arc.

Ramapo continued to control the game through the entire second half gaining their biggest lead at 5:08 (60-38), and at the final buzzer (63-41), when Lindsey Gripenburg (Blomingdale, NJ) and Faith Flannery (Red Bank, NJ) hit a jump shot and a free throw respectively.  Ramapo hit 11 field goals on 28 attempts (39%) in the second half, led by Stephanie Cannizzaro (Pequannock, NJ) who put away three field goals including two three-pointers for eight points.  Rookie Meghan Reilly (Morganville, NJ) pulled down a team high ten rebounds in the final half.  Jared Tactuk (Wayne, NJ) and Samantha Grippo (Edison, NJ) each contributed five points for the Scarlet Raiders while the team went 6-25 (24%). 

Reilly finished the night with a double-double including 13 rebounds and 11 points, while Cannizzaro and Ryan recorded 14 points each in the win.  Cannizzaro grabbed six boards and Ryan added five while senior Mallory Cornett (Hawthorne, NJ) led the team dishing out six assists.  She added eight points on the night shooting 3-6 from the field.  Ramapo hit 23-53 (43%) from the field and Rutgers Newark went 14-46 (30%).  Ruminska finished the day with a team leading 16 points and Tactuk contributed four of the team's 14 field goals for 11 points.  Courtney Vacca (Wayne, NJ) pulled down seven rebounds on the night.

With the win, the Roadrunners head to the #2 seed of the South Division, Rowan University on Saturday, February 20th for a 1:00 PM tip-off.

Congratulations and good luck to senior Mallory Cornett who was honored this evening in a senior day presentation prior to the start of the game.