Mahwah NJ—The Ramapo College men's basketball team defeated Franklin and Marshall College, 72-62, in the 2018 NCAA Division III Sectionals on Friday evening at the Bradley Center.  With the win, the Roadrunners advance to the Elite 8 against MIT on Saturday, March 10 at 7pm in the Bradley Center. This marks the third time in program history the Roadrunners advanced to the Elite 8.  The Roadrunners advanced to the Elite 8 in 1991 and 2003.  The 1991 Roadrunners finished with a 24-8 overall mark, advancing to the NCAA Final Four.

Senior Christopher Moseley led the Roadrunners with 18 points, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Senior Thomas Bonacum registered 16 points and seven rebounds while senior Josh Ford and senior Nick Stanek added 12 and 10 points respectively. Ramapo's Stanek grabbed a game-best eight boards as the Roadrunners edged Franklin and Marshall, 40-to-37.

Franklin and Marshall's Matthew Tate led all scorers with 24 points followed by Brandon Federici (14) and Ignas Slyka (12). J.C. McGrath added eight points and seven rebounds. Ramapo started off the game on an 8-2 run, thanks to a pair of thrilling dunks by Moseley.  Franklin and Marshall used a 5-2 run to pull within two of the Roadrunners, 10-8, with 14:05. The Roadrunners extended its lead to six, 16-10, on a fast break layup by junior Rob Lewis just under the 12-minute media timeout. Franklin and Marshall surged back on a 7-2 run pulling within three of the home team, 20-17, after a layup by JC McGarth.

Franklin and Marshall took its first lead of the game at the 7:31 mark on a three-pointer by Tate, 23-22.  Bonacum connected on a three-pointer and Moseley sank a pair of free throws for a four-point lead, 27-23, with 6:23 left to play. Tate knocked down a three-pointer and McGrath followed with two free throws for Franklin and Marshall taking a three-point lead, 30-27.  The Roadrunners used a 6-2 run to close out the first half, after a fast break layup by Stanek for a 35-32 advantage.  Franklin and Marshall's Slyka led all scorers with 12 points while the Roadrunners were paced by Bonacum with nine points. Ramapo continued its momentum into the second half, taking a six-point advantage, 44-38, after a three-pointer by Stanek at the 15-minute mark, which sparked a 6-0 run for the home team.

The Roadrunners pushed its lead to double-digits, 10, 52-42, on one-of-two made by Connor Romano.  Franklin and Marshall went on a 7-2 run, cutting the deficit to five, 54-49, on a three-pointer by Brandon Federici at the 7:24 mark. Ramapo pushed its lead back up to eight, 61-53, on an old-fashion three-point play by Bonacum but Franklin and Marshall went on a 7-1 run over the next 1:30, pulling within two of the Roadrunners, 62-60, after a three-pointer by Matthew Tate. The Roadrunners scored the final nine points from the free throw line over the last 1:21 to close out the game on a 9-2 run and secure the 72-62 victory.

MIT 79, Middlebury 76 (Final)

MIT's Hamilton Forsythe led all scorers with 23 points, leading the Engineers to a 79-76 victory over Middlebury in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen at the Bradley Center on the campus of Ramapo College. MIT (21-7) will play the winner of Ramapo/Franklin and Marshall on Saturday at 7pm in the Elite 8.

Forsythe netted a game-high 23 points, shooting 8-for-15 from the field, 4-of-9 from three-point range and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line.  Guard AJ Jurko registered 18 points, a game-best seven assists, five rebounds and three steals in the win.  Jurko shot 6-for-14 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Ian Binkley posted 17 points in 30 minutes of action off the bench for the Engineers while forward Tim Roberts combined for a double-double, 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.

Middlebury (21-7) was led by guard Jack Daly, who notched a double-double – 21 points and 13 rebounds, on 7-of-13 from the field while shooting 6-for-10 from the charity strip.  Guard Jack Farrell added 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.Middlebury took control early, jumping out to a 12-7 lead, after six straight points by Jack Farrell.  MIT rallied back on a 13-0 spurt, sparked by a layup by AJ Jurko  at the 14:33 mark, taking a six-point lead, 18-12, with 11:28 to play. Middlebury scored four straight points to pull within two of MIT, 18-16, on a layup by Eric McCord and extended its lead to five, 25-20, after a layup by Farrell, with 7:15 to play. Both teams traded baskets, with the game seeing the first tie at 29-all on a three-point play by Hamilton Forsythe at the 4:31 mark.  Middlebury scored five straight points, taking a five-point advantage, 34-29, after one-of-two made from the free throw line by Jack Daly.

MIT knotted the game at 34-34 with thirty-nine seconds on a three-pointer from the top of the key by Forsythe and Middlebury's Matt Folger knocked down a trey ball of his own with three seconds on the clock, heading into the locker room. Middlebury's Farrell led all scorers with 12 points at the half while MIT's Forsythe netted 11 points. In a back-and-forth affair in the second period, the game saw its seventh tie of the game, 70-70, at the 5:50 mark after a three-pointer by Middlebury's Jack Farrell. MIT rallied for five straight points, pushing its lead to 75-70, sparked by a pair of free throws by AJ Jurko at the 5:29 mark. Middlebury's Jack Daly scored back-to-back baskets, pulling within one of the Engineers, 75-74, with :54 seconds remaining. The Engineers sealed the game from the free throw line, scoring the last four-out-of-six points from the free throw line, holding on for a 79-76 victory.