Monday night marked senior night for the Roadrunners as they got their 17th win of the season in a tight, back-and-forth game against the Ospreys of Richard Stockton College.
Prior to the game the Roadrunners honored their only senior, team captain Faith Flannery. Flannery led her team in scoring with 16 points to complement the guard's several rebounds en route to a 58-52 victory.
It was a tight game throughout, but the women persevered with a group effort. It was at times a sloppy game with frequent turnovers on both sides, but in the end the strong defense made the difference. All nine of the Roadrunners played their role in the defensive effort, each pulling down at least one rebound. Not to mention they out-hustled the under-manned Stockton team, who had just six players at their disposal.
Both teams started scoring early, especially Flannery, who dropped 11 of her 16 in the first half. The Roadrunners led by just one when sophomore guard Kelly Haspel hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to close out the half, making the score 27-23 at halftime.
The Roadrunners controlled the second half, going on a 13-4 run to start the half as the whole team started to heat up. Forward Micaela Moore contributed with 16 points, a game-high shared with Flannery. Moore is the team's lead scorer for the season, now averaging 11 points per game following Monday's performance. Other notable performances on the night include Haspel, who had nine points along with her buzzer beater, and forward Alex Milne, who had eight.
Prior to the game, the College Programming Board, Student Government Association and Athletics Department hosted a tailgate to celebrate the home finale. The activities continued throughout the game with a Girl Scout shootout sponsored by Moe's and a performance from the Ramapo College dance team. These festivities, along with a great performance by the Roadrunners, made the atmosphere that much more enjoyable for the fans in attendance.
"This is my first time going to one of the games," freshman Elizabeth Rizzo said. "It's fun. Even halftime is exciting."
The women's basketball team lost its last game of the season last night against William Paterson University. They finished the season at 17-8 with a conference record of 10-6, making them fifth in the conference.
Ramapo will play a road game against Rutgers-Newark on Saturday night for the first round of the NJAC tournament.
mgill@ramapo.edu
