Mahwah, NJ: The Cougars of Kean University fought from behind to defeat the Ramapo College men's basketball team, 71-70 tonight in a New Jersey Athletic Conference match-up at the Bradley Center.  Behind 31 points from Tommy Soulias, Kean grabbed their fifth win of the season to improve to 5-14 overall, 3-9 in the conference.  Ramapo falls to 11-8 overall, 5-7 in the conference.
 
The Roadrunners led the entire game until the 3:20 minute mark in the final half, when back-to-back three point goals from J.J. Hladik and Soulias, followed by a free throw from Soulias, gave the Cougars a 63-62 lead.  After back and forth play for the remainder of the game, the Cougars finished on top of Ramapo after a basket from Emmanuel Omowole with 18 ticks left put Kean up, 71-70.  A last shot play for Ramapo fell short leaving the Cougars with the NJAC victory.  Soulias hit 11-24 from the field, including 5-10 from the three-point line and 4-9 from the charity stripe to collect a team leading 31 points.  Omowole finished with 15 points and Hladik wrapped up the win with 12.  Tim Steward pulled down a team high nine rebounds and Omowole grabbed four steals.  Kean shot 25-60 (42%) from the field.
 
The Roadrunners got on the scoreboard first with a basket from Ve'Shawn Polite, and spent the next 13 minutes of the half working to a double-digit lead with a basket from Christopher Moseley to go up, 23-13.  Kean came within six points, 17-23 with a basket from Omowole at 6:13, before the Roadrunners climbed to a 15-point advantage, capped off with a dunk from Moseley with just 2:41 to play in the half.  The Cougars responded with a 6-0 run to close out the half with a three-point basket from Hladik with 40 seconds to go, to put them within nine, 29-38.  Thomas Bonacum led the Roadrunners with 13 points and Moseley added ten, as the team shot 13-27 (48%).  Kean was led by Soulias with 16 points as the team combined hitting 11-32 (34%).
 
The Cougars opened the second half with a basket to come within seven, before the Roadrunners worked to an 11-point (44-33) lead with 17:36 on the clock, with a basket from Polite.  A three-point goal from Soulias just two minutes later put Kean within six, 40-46, but the Roadrunners responded with a 6-0 run, sparked with a long shot from Frank Nock, and capped off with a free throw from Nick Stanek, to take a 52-40 lead with 11:55 to play.  Minutes later, a three-point goal from Soulias put the Cougars within five points, 55-60 with just 5:08 on the clock, and a free throw and a three from Hladik put Kean within one, 59-60.  Soulias sank a long shot just after a basket from Ramapo's Nock to tie the game at 62 with 3:42 to go.  The Cougars grabbed their first lead of the game with the front end of a two shot foul from Soulias, and Polite hit two from the charity stripe to grab back the lead, 64-63 with 2:29 left on the clock.  Hladik responded with another long shot to go up 66-64 and two free throws from Polite tied the game once again, 66-66.  It was Kean's game at the final buzzer earning the one-point victory.  Kean shot 14-28 (50%) in the half behind 15 from Soulias, while Ramapo hit 10-34 (29%).  Nock led the Roadrunners with 14 points in the half.
 
Bonacum led Ramapo with 17 points and 17 rebounds while Nock finished the night with 16 points of his own.  Moseley collected 12 and Polite netted 11, while Bonacum and Nock each collected three steals.
 
The Roadrunners return to action on Saturday, January31st when they host Montclair State University at 3pm.