Men’s Basketball Tops Rowan

The Ramapo men’s basketball team helped improve their New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) seeding by earning a 74-61 win over Rowan University in a conference game on Saturday afternoon.

The Roadrunners came into this game ranked 13th in this week’s D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. They improved to 20-2 overall and 14-1 in conference play. On the other hand, Rowan dropped to 16-6 with a 9-6 record in the NJAC after Saturday’s loss.

Forward Stephon Treadwell led Ramapo with 17 points and five rebounds. Forward Elgin Brown chipped in with a 15-point and six-rebound effort.

But center Elvonney Poole was the game changer, registering 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Guard Garret Thiel also stepped up with nine points, 12 rebounds and four steals while fellow guard Will Sanborn tallied 13 points and seven assists.  

Rowan center Dee Benson collected 12 points and seven boards. Guards Jason Rosenberg, Kendall White and Rich McNamara each provided 11 points. McNamara recorded nine rebounds, and Rosenberg had six dimes.  

In the beginning, the game was tied 6-6 before Ramapo went on a 14-3 run to go up by 11 with 12:24 remaining in the first half. Brown collected six points, and Treadwell had five.

Ramapo extended its lead to 15, but Benson shortened the edge to 32-24 with 3:43 remaining. McNamara sunk a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left in the half to bring them within 10 (39-29) at the break. Brown totaled 15 points and six rebounds in the first half while Treadwell helped out with 11 points.

Poole’s jumper at 17:49 in the second half pushed the lead to 13 (45-32). Rowan picked up its play, embarking on an 8-1 run to trail by six (46-40) with 15:03 left.

The Roadrunners scored the next 11 points (six from Poole) to gain a 17-point advantage with 9:38 remaining. Guard Patrick O’Connell made a jump-shot with 4:10 remaining which put Ramapo up by 14 (66-52).

Poole had a spectacular three-point play with 2:53 left to play. White nailed a 3-pointer with 2:42 remaining, but Treadwell answered right back with a basket of his own. Poole led the surge and collected 14 points and 10 boards in the second half.

Last night, the Roadrunners snapped their eight-game winning streak in a 72-69 loss to Rutgers-Newark. They will play their home finale on Saturday against Richard Stockton College.