Photo courtesy of Ramapo Athletics
The Ramapo College women’s basketball team is on fire this season.
On Saturday, Nov. 30, the team bumped their undefeated overall record to 7-0, after collecting a victory against Lehman College, 82-42. This may just be the year the Lady Roadrunners take it all.
Ramapo opened up the game down by six, but they managed to score at 6:57 when senior Samantha Rinaldi put out a layup in the paint, making the score 6-2. From there, Lehman recorded another basket for what would end up being their biggest lead of the game, 8-2.
Senior Jessica Repasy responded by nailing a free throw at 5:26, which then kicked off a 9-3 run with Ramapo taking the 12-11 lead with a little over three minutes left on the clock, 3:37. The score was still neck and neck until Rinaldi netted a pair of free throws to steal it back for good, 15-13 at 2:22.
The Roadrunners closed out the first quarter with back-to-back baskets from Repasy and Rinaldi for a score of 24-29 at the buzzer.
The Lady Roadrunners played more confidently in the second quarter, only allowing the Lightning to gain only four points. In the meantime, Ramapo collected 17 points, and headed into the locker room at the half leading by 18 with a 41-23 score.
Lehman College scored the first basket of the second half, but by this point, it didn’t matter. Ramapo racked up another 24 points in the third quarter to further advance their lead. The defense was also working hard, giving up a mere seven points to head into the last ten minutes of playing time with a 35-point lead, 65-30.
The Roadrunners finished strong with freshman Jennifer McArthur hitting the last layup of the game in the final minute, 0:44. For the quarter, the team tallied an additional 17 points to end at 82-42.
For the game, Ramapo shot 57% (33-57) from the field, 33% (2-6) from the three-point line and 77% (14-18) from the charity stripe. The Roadrunners also posted 17 points off of Lehman turnovers, while only giving up 12 in the same way.
Ramapo held the advantage in rebounds, recording 46 to Lehman’s 23. Not to mention, the team posted 44 points in the paint along with 13 second chance points.
Team leaders proved to be junior Alie Wickersheim, Rinaldi and Repasy, all contributing 16 points for the team. Senior Jenna Harsh was the fourth Roadrunner to score in double figures, posting 11 after playing for 22 minutes.
Repasy earned her second double-double of the season after capitalizing on ten rebounds.
Rinadli shot 5-6 from the free throw line, and Wickersheim finished 6-8 from the field and a perfect 4-4 in free throws.
Head coach Mike Eineker enters his eleventh season with the Roadrunners, which has played out to be his best start yet. He is hopeful that the women’s basketball team will make their fourth appearance in the NJAC Tournament during his tenure.
The pressure is on for Ramapo as they head into their next match-up to face NJAC rival Montclair State University. The action will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at the Bradley Center. The tip-off is at 5:30 p.m.
ksutphin@ramapo.edu
