Mahwah, NJ:  The Owls of Keene State upset the Ramapo College men's basketball team tonight in the second round of the 2017 NCAA DIII Men's Basketball Championship Tournament, 92-91 (OT) held at the Bradley Center.  The heartbreaking loss ends one of the most successful seasons the program has seen as the Roadrunners finish at 26-3 overall.  Keene advances to the Sweet 16 round and jumps ahead to 21-9 overall. 
 
It took an extra period to determine the winner as Matt Ozzella and Ty Nichols led the Owls in the overtime thriller.  Ozzella collected a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds and Nichols led all scorers with 32 points.  Jaquel Edwards netted 16 points in the win as the team shot 29-77 (38%) in one of their biggest wins of the season.  Nichols dished out seven assists, Jimmy Layman pulled down eight rebounds, and Nichols grabbed three steals on the night.  The Owls combined for 11 three-point goals in the win as they forced 20 Ramapo turnovers.
 
The Roadrunners jumped out to an 8-0 lead as Sultan Aminu started the run with a jump shot and Christopher Moseley capped it with a two-point goal of his own.  Keene would cut the lead in half with a mini 4-0 run capped by Nichols.  With Ramapo ahead 12-6, Keene used a five-point swing to come within one point, 11-12 with 14:07 on the clock.  The run was sparked by Ozzella and capped by Lucas Hammel.  Nichols would drain a three to give the Owls their first lead (14-12) of the game with 13:09 to play.  The run continued as the Owls climbed to an 18-12 lead but Ramapo responded with a 5-0 run of their own to come within one, 17-18 with a free throw from Nick Stanek.  Stanek would give the lead back to Ramapo at 5:14 off the steal to go ahead 25-24.  Over the next three minutes the two teams traded baskets and with 1:48 to go, a jumper from Cory Soanes would put Ramapo ahead, 34-29 but Jake Collagan responded with a long shot to close the gap to 32-34 with 1:22 on the clock.  Ramapo would head into the locker room with a 37-32 lead after James Long dished the ball to Stanek who would nail a three with 0:10 on the clock. 
 
The Roadrunners were led by Aminu who had ten points and five rebounds, while Nichols led Keene State with 15 points in the first half.  Ramapo combined for 14-33 (42%) from the field in the first 20 minutes of play while the Owls hit 9-34 (27%).
 
Thomas Bonacum opened the scoring in the second half with a jump shot before Long sparked a mini 4-0 run to go ahead by eight points (43-35), 17:08.  After two minutes of play Josh Ford would hit a layup on a pass from Patrick Peterson to go ahead 47-38 and with 12:59 on the clock, Soanes would score two to go ahead 53-43. Edwards collected his second three point goal of the game to come within seven before Ozzella capitalized on an and-one play and drained a three to sweep within one, 52-53 with 11:50 to play capping a 9-0 run.  A long trey from Nichlos gave the Owls back the lead, 57-56 and with Ramapo down one, Moseley would slam down a dunk and hit a free throw to take a 63-61 lead with 7:28 on the clock.  Over the next three minutes the lead changed three times before Ford tied the game at 72 with just over four minutes to play.  Down the stretch the teams traded baskets and the lead as regulation would end in a tie 81-81.  Ford and Peterson led Ramapo with five points each as the team went 12-27 (44%) in the half.  Ozzella led the Owls with 15 points and Nichols and Edwards each sank 12.  The Owls hit seven threes in the half and the team went 18-36 (50%) from the floor.
 
At the start of the extra period Stanek would drain a trey and after both teams shot free throws Ramapo would be ahead by two, 86-84 with 3:00 to go.  Bonacum drained a three but Nichols responded with a three of his own leaving the teams with a two-point gap.  With under a minute to go, Collagan gave the Owls the advantage (92-91) with the 11th three-pointer of the game, a score that held in the final seconds giving the Owls the upset. 
 
Stanek finished on top of all Roadrunners with 17 points as Ford and Bonacum each finished with 14.  Moseley finished the night with 13 and Peterson and Aminu collected 11 and ten respectively.  The team shot a combined 29-68 (43%) in the loss, their first loss at home this season.  Stanek and Peterson each pulled down eight rebounds and Ford, Long, and Moseley each dished out three assists.

Congratulations on an outstanding season!