Photo by Pauline Park
A double overtime thriller in the Bradley Center last night ended in a heart-wrenching loss for the Roadrunners, as the Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders took the win, 95-94.
The Scarlet Raiders star, Jordan McDaniel, hurt the Roadrunners all night, making it fitting that he rolled in the decisive bucket to give his team the lead with five seconds to play. Frank Nock, the senior co-captain honored before the game, as it was senior night, couldn’t get the last second shot to fall at the buzzer.
McDaniel finished with a career high of 44 points with teammate John Snow dropping 30 points as well. Although he didn’t convert for the win, Nock shone on senior night, posting a stat line of 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Sophomore forward and co-captain Tom Bonacum had yet another stellar game as well, finishing with a team high of 23 points.
This suspenseful game, as hard fought as it was, technically meant nothing to either team, as they both secured home court advantage in the NJAC Playoff Tournament. With the loss, Ramapo still holds the fourth seed in the conference, and although anything can happen on a single night in the NJAC, home court will play a big factor for the Roadrunners moving on to the semifinals. The Scarlet Raiders earned the third seed of the tournament with the victory and will host No. 6 William Paterson.
“Home court advantage is big for us,” said guard Cory Soanes. “We don’t have to travel, so we can get a little workout in before the game, and of course, the home fans are going to help us out a lot too.”
The away team will travel from Ewing, New Jersey to Mahwah, as The College of New Jersey secured the fifth seed last night. The Roadrunners defeated TCNJ in both matchups in the regular season; the latest was an overtime victory a few weeks back.
“They are a real good team that is well-coached,” said point guard Jimbo Long, who finished with eight points last night. “We just have to create turnovers and get quick transition points.”
The first round of the NJAC Playoff Tournament will kick off in the Bradley Center at 6 p.m. The winner of the matchup between the Roadrunners and the Lions will travel to Jersey City on Wednesday to take on the Gothic Knights of New Jersey City University, who are ranked first in the NJAC Playoff Tournament.
sthomps4@ramapo.edu
