The Ramapo Roadrunners men’s basketball team defeated the Richard Stockton Ospreys, 74-64, on a very memorable senior night at the Bradley Center on Monday.
The Roadrunners were led by seniors Elgin Brown, Will Sanborn and Stephon Treadwell, who scored 18, 17, and 10 points respectively. With just 4:39 left in the game, Treadwell scored to put the Roadrunners up 65-58, tallying his 1,000th career point as a Roadrunner.
"I was really happy for him," said head coach Chuck McBreen. "He’s been an absolute pleasure, just a great kid to coach."
Following the scoring of Treadwell’s 1,000th point, play paused for an announcement to acknowledge his feat, followed by a standing ovation from the crowd.
Treadwell said that he was glad to score his 1,000th point and thanked his teammates for their help and support.
"I finally got it. Thanks to my teammates for believing in me and helping reach this great accomplishment," Treadwell said.
Treadwell is just one of six seniors on the roster who played their last regular season game at the Bradley Center. Treadwell, Brown, Sanborn, Anthony LoRusso, Garret Thiel and Mike Nweme make up the basketball team’s senior class.
"It’s sad that they’re going to be going," McBreen said. "We’re losing three captains. We’ve got a lot of work to do next year."
Prior to the start of the game, the seniors were introduced to the crowd at the Bradley Center and were recognized for their multiple achievements and awards throughout both their athletic and academic careers at Ramapo.
The Roadrunners were coming off a close 72-69 loss to Rutgers-Newark, but they rallied back for the win on Monday. The Roadrunners lost only three games this season, never suffering back-to-back losses.
McBreen attributed the team’s resiliency to what he described as senior experience.
"They’ve been through the wars, they’ve lost some games over the years and they understand what it’s like to come back," he said.
The Roadrunners have clinched the top spot in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) with Monday’s win over Richard Stockton and are ranked first in the NCAA Atlantic Regional rankings. Notching the top seed earned Ramapo a first-round bye in the NJAC tournament, so they will host a semifinals game on Tuesday night. McBreen has high expectations of his team and its strong senior leadership heading into the tournament.
"This team wants the ring. They want to win a NJAC championship," McBreen said. "We think, with our experience that we can go deep into the NCAA tournament."
—
mmontalt@ramapo.edu
