Wayne, NJ: The Ramapo College men's basketball team picked up a hard-fought 60-51 victory on the road improving their overall record to 4-11 (3-5 NJAC) on the season, while the Pioneers of William Paterson University fall to 6-9 (1-7 NJAC).
Ramapo jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first half and worked to build a 32-24 lead at halftime. With a 21-20 lead, Ramapo went on a 9-0 run to extend their lead 29-20.
Tyrell Murchison tallied six straight points during the run while
Elijah Barlow added a jumper. Ramapo closed out the first with a tip-in from Murchison and a free throw from
Nahum Lewis for the eight-point halftime lead. The Pioneers would battle back early in the second half as they took a 33-32 lead with 15:27 on the clock. Ramapo then used the next 7:11 of the game to go on a 19-4 run which put them up 51-37 with under eight minutes to play.
Orion Mickens posted 10 points while Murchison added nine points during the run. WPU finished the game on a 14-9 run as Ramapo held on for the 60-51 NJAC road win.
Murchison scored a career high 24 points while he added eight rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Jalen Thomas led the way with 12 rebounds while he added two points and two steals. Mickens tallied 12 points, nine rebounds and two steals while
Nahum Lewis contributed with seven points, four rebounds and a team high four steals. Ramapo tallied 40 points in the paint and 21 points off WPU's 20 turnovers in the game. The Roadrunners shot 40% (24-59) from the field, 11% (1-9) from beyond the three-point line and 52% (11-21) from the free throw line.
Demond Kinchen Jr. led the Pioneers with 17 points which included four made three-pointers. Fred Orock Jr. led the team with 11 rebounds while adding nine points. Ty'Shawn Pearson posted seven points and six rebounds. The team shot 28% (15-53) from the floor, 12% (7-32) from the three-point line and 63% (14-22) from the free throw line.
Ramapo returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 17th when they host Stockton University in a NJAC game at 1:00 PM.
