Mahwah, NJ: The Ramapo College men's basketball team fell in the opening game of the 2015 Roadrunner Tip-Off Tournament to Purchase College, 81-58. The Roadrunners suffer their first loss of the season falling 2-1 overall while the Panthers (2-2) advance to the Championship game tomorrow at 3pm and will take on Johnson & Wales University. Ramapo will take on Eastern Connecticut State University in the Consolation game tomorrow at 1pm.
The Roadrunners scored the first basket of the game when
Josh Ford hit a bucket with 19:36 but then trailed for the next six minutes before they went on a mini 6-0 run capped off with a jumper from
Jermaine Peart for an 18-12 lead with 11:11 on the clock. Creig Graves nailed a three-pointer for the Panthers that sparked a 12-2 run. The run was capped off by another three-pointer from Graves to put Purchase in the lead 24-20 with just under seven minutes to play in the first half.
Saint-Simeon Beaubrun hit a basket for Ramapo and was fouled; he converted on a free throw to come within one, 23-24, with 6:41 on the clock. The Roadrunners took a one point lead, 26-25, with 4:46 left in the half on a made basket and foul shot from
Frank Nock before the Panthers went on a 9-1 run to closeout the first half up 34-29.
The Panthers were led by Graves with 13 points while Kayvon Reid led the team with seven rebounds. Purchase shot 35% (12-34) from the field and 77% (7-9) from the charity stripe. The Roadrunners were led by
Josh Ford with eight points while
Christopher Moseley grabbed a team high five rebounds. The team shot 31% (11-35) from the field and 60% (6-10) from the charity stripe.
In the second half, the two teams traded baskets before the Panthers began to pull away with just under 14 minutes to play in the game. Purchase went on a 14-4 run that included four three-pointers from Jose Reyes to take a 17 point lead, 63-46, with 9:48 to go in the game. The team went up by more then twenty points for the first time in the game when Reyes hit yet another three-pointer, 72-51, before they took their biggest lead of the game, 81-57, a 24 point lead on a made basket by Nicholas Jackson with under a minute to play. The Roadrunners tallied the final basket, a foul shot by
Nick Stanek as the Panthers came away with an 81-58 road win to advance to tomorrow's Championship at 3pm.
The Panthers were led by Reyes with 20 points including six of nine from beyond the three-point line while Joel Neri added 21 points and 16 rebounds. Nick Jackson added 12 points and five rebounds while Taylor Foster dished out a game high 12 assists along with eight points and six rebounds. The team shot 45% (30-66) from the field, 40% (10-25) from the three-point line and 68% (11-16) from the foul line. Ramapo was led by Stanek with 16 points and five rebounds while Ford added 14 points. The team shot 31% (22-69) from the field, 23% (3-13) from the three-point line and 61% (11-18) from the foul line.
In the second game of the day, Johnson & Wales built a 12-point lead heading into halftime. The Wildcats were led by Tom Garrick in the first half with 16 points while Quarry Greenaway added nine points of his own. The team shot 43% (14-43) from the field, 40% (4-10) from the three-point line and 50% (3-6). For the Warriors, Tarchee Brown led the team with ten points while Hugh Lindo added 12 rebounds and nine points. The team shot 30% (7-23) from the field and 90% (9-10) from the foul line.
The Warriors came back in the second half and cut the Wildcats lead to four, 41-48, with just under twelve minutes left in the game. Tarchee Brown capped off a run with a three before Johnson & Wales stretched the lead back to 14 with 6:29 on the clock and held their biggest lead of the game with 1:34 left on a dunk from Clayton Roker, 72-55. ECSU scored the final points of the game on a made three-pointer from Jaysen Nunez.
The Wildcats were led by Tom Garrick with 28 points to lead both teams while Quarry Greenaway shot 7-12 from the line and tallied 19 points. Roker collected ten points while Greenaway and Jarell Lawson each collected seven rebounds to lead the team. Johnson & Wales forced 24 Warrior turnovers that led to nine Wildcat points. The team shot 42% (25-46) from the field and 70% (17-24) from the foul line.
The Warriors had three players score in double figures as Brown led the team with 25 points and three steals while Lindo posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Trachone Preston added 11 points including five assists and three steals. The team out rebounded the Wildcats, 42-37 in the game while the team shot 35% (21-59) from the field and 61% (13-21) from the foul line.
