Entering with the possibility of playing their final game in the Bradley Center, Ramapo’s men’s basketball starting five of Peter Gorman, Justin Bladen, Shane Rooney, Anthony Corbo and Jordan Myers put it all on the line for a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) semi-final win over Stockton University on Tuesday night.
In a rematch of a double-overtime thriller just a week ago, the Ospreys and Roadrunners played a physical brand of basketball for 40 minutes. Between the two programs, there were a total of 43 fouls committed, including Corbo, Bladen and Stockton’s Eriq Campbell each fouling out, as well as an additional seven players committing multiple fouls.
Despite arriving at the Bradley Center 30 minutes late due to traffic, the Ospreys got out to a hot start, building a 10-point lead in the first seven minutes of action. The Stockton offense was unstoppable in the early minutes of the game, headed by junior guard and NJAC leading scorer EJ Matthews-Spratley, who scored 22 of the Osprey’s first 31 points.
The Roadrunners were able to claw their way back at the end of the first half, as Gorman, Corbo and Bladen’s combined shot for 22 points in the final nine minutes of the half. Ramapo was able to force eight turnovers from Stockton in the first half, compared to just two of their own, and were able to carry a five-point lead into the half.
In the first half alone, Gorman totaled 21 points, giving him nine consecutive games reaching the 20-point total. Matthews-Spratley was the leading scorer at halftime with 25 of his own including six three-pointers made.
Ramapo carried their end-of-half momentum into the second half, making five consecutive baskets to start the frame. Despite this, the Osprey offense kept pace with Campbell and freshman Logan McKee providing crucial minutes on the attack. That pace wouldn’t last long, however, with Matthews-Spratley going cold from the field and Rooney scoring 10 points in a seven-minute span.
Despite their best efforts, the Roadrunner defense proved to be too much for Stockton, limiting them to just 12 field goals made in the entire second half. Ramapo held the lead for the final 22 minutes of action, ending the game with a 88-81 victory and sending them to their first NJAC Championship game since 2019.
Gorman finished with a game-high 30 points along with seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. Three other Roadrunners — Rooney, Corbo and Bladen each finished with double-digit points, while sophomore center Branden Moore provided a major spark off the bench scoring at will inside on multiple occasions.
The Roadrunners were able to claw their way back at the end of the first half, as Gorman, Corbo and Bladen’s combined shot for 22 points in the final nine minutes of the half. Ramapo was able to force eight turnovers from Stockton in the first half, compared to just two of their own, and were able to carry a five-point lead into the half.
Despite his unconscious 25-point first-half, Matthews-Spratley finished with 28 and a game-high five turnovers. Despite fouling out, Campbell played a massive role for the Ospreys with 22 points and four assists before accumulating his fifth foul.
For Ramapo, the win marked their first 20-win season since 2018, which happens to be the last time the Roadrunners won the NJAC Championship game. For coach Chuck McBreen, he’s now one win away from his fifth NJAC title, which would give the Roadrunners the most in the conference since 2000.
In the hours following the win, the NJAC released their season awards, and Gorman took home some major hardware. The senior guard became the first Roadrunner since Thomas Bonacum in 2017 to win NJAC Player of the Year. The two-year captain finished the year averaging 22 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals and shot 44.4% from three-point range. Gorman was also named to All-Conference First Team, and Myers was named to All-Conference Second Team for his defensive efforts.
The Roadrunners will now travel down to face No. 1 Montclair State University in the NJAC Championship on Friday evening. Ramapo has had success against the Red Hawks this year, defeating them 82-76 on Dec. 11 and 80-66 on Feb. 5. A win would clinch the Roadrunners at least one home game in the upcoming National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III tournament.
wjackso2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @ramapocollegenj, Instagram
