The Ramapo College women's basketball team earned a narrow victory over New Jersey Athletic Conference rival Rutgers-Camden on Wednesday.
After jumping out to an early 10-0 lead, the Roadrunners had to fight in the final minutes to earn a 48-43 win against the Scarlet Raptors.
"They're a good team, and they're a young team, and I was really happy with our kids that we were able to fight them off at the end. We didn't panic when they cut it down to two; we dug in and made a couple of stops and did what we needed to do," said head coach Mike Eineker.
In the first half, Ramapo controlled the ball for most of the play and was rewarded with a 27-13 lead at halftime. In that half, Ramapo seniors Micaela Moore and Anna Fucci had nine and eight points, respectively.
However, the Scarlet Raptors were able to fight their way back into the game in the second half by making the most of their three point opportunities.
Rutgers-Camden junior Alex Gravinese cashed in for nine points off three point opportunities after being held pointless in the first.
"We knew that [Gravinese] is their best three point shooter, and we spent a lot of time talking about that," Eineker said. "She's a very streaky shooter, so after she made that first one we emphasized to get out on her."
Moore, who was the Roadrunners' most noticeable player on the court, ensured her team's victory when she sank a shot for two points, putting her team up 47-43 with 28.8 seconds left in the game.
"We're lucky to have her, and were lucky she fights so hard every game because she's fighting an uphill battle," Eineker said of the 5-foot-10 senior, who he said is usually much smaller than her matchup. "She's just been very solid for us so it was no surprise, and it was no surprise that we were trying to get her the basketball at the end."
Moore finished the night with 15 total points, accounting for 31 percent of her team's offense.
With the win, the Roadrunners improve to 4-4 overall and 2-1 in the NJAC. The Roadrunners next game will be Saturday at home against the Montclair Red Hawks.
Montclair is currently 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the NJAC and are ranked third in D3hoops.com's top 25 teams.
"It's a completely different feel for Montclair, where we're just going to have to fight and claw to stay in the game," Eineker said. "The one thing that I think we're finding about our team is that we are willing to fight and compete, and that's something I love about this group."
mmontal1@ramapo.edu
