Box Score
WAYNE, N.J. – Ramapo (14-10, 8-4 NJAC) jumped out to a six-point lead to start the overtime period and held on for an 83-80 victory at William Paterson (17-6, 9-3 NJAC) Feb. 20 as the Pioneers celebrated Senior Night.
Sophomore
Chris Brown's (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) three-point play with 1:00 remaining in regulation staked the Pioneers to a 62-58 lead, but two offensive rebounds led to an Assad Shaakir layup with 39 seconds to play (62-60). A William Paterson turnover with 11.2 on the clock gave Ramapo a chance in the closing seconds, and Desmon Sanders' layup in the lane knotted the score at 62-62 with 5.5 seconds remaining, forcing an extra session.
The Roadrunners worked the high-low pass to Omar Alston to start the overtime, and with William Paterson's
Abdoulaye Ouedraogo (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) on the bench with five fouls, Ramapo was able to take advantage of the mismatch. Alston's two baskets and pair of free throws during the first 1:23 helped give Ramapo a 68-64 edge, and a Tim Wesley layup made it a six-point contest (70-64, 3:14). Senior
Jason Cameron (Cliffside Park, N.J./Cliffside Park) drained a long-range three (70-67, 2:55), but two more Alston free throws, followed by a
Joey Spiegel (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) one-for-two trip to the line and another Wesley basket, again gave the Roadrunners a six-point edge (74-68, 2:01). The two teams traded free throws, and the lead grew to as many as eight (76-68, 0:56), but a Pioneer run culminated in a Spiegel three and two successful trips to the charity stripe by Cameron, giving WP hope at 82-80 with 12.5 seconds to play. Wesley was fouled, and made the second of two free throws (83-80, 9.6), but William Paterson could not force a second overtime as
Al-Basser Holloway's (Union, N.J./Newark East Side) three-pointer was off-line as time expired.
Ramapo owned a 36-27 advantage at halftime, and was ahead by as many as 12 (39-27, 16:40) early in the second half.
Alston led Ramapo with 21 points. Shaakir added 12 tallies and 11 rebounds, Wesley chipped in 16 points and Ahmed Hassan (Edgewater, N.J./Leonia) had 12 points.
Freshman
Gabriel Paul (Hillside, N.J./Hillside) led the Pioneers with 20 points on 7-for-11 (.636) shooting off the bench. Cameron had 17 points and Spiegel 16, while Brown had one of his best efforts as a Pioneer, producing seven points (3-4 FG) and three blocked shots in 18 minutes of action.
Jeff Palmer (Lower Cape May, N.J./Lower Cape May Regional), who was honored as part of Senior Night along with Cameron, Spiegel and
Seve Cousins (Haledon, N.J./St. Joseph's Regional), had five points and an assist in his first career start.
With one game remaining, William Paterson (9-3 NJAC) remains in first place in the NJAC North Division, ahead of Montclair State (8-4) and Ramapo (8-4). Richard Stockton (10-3) has won the South Division title, and will be the top overall seed for the upcoming NJAC Tournament, since the Ospreys would own the tiebreaker should WP finish the regular season with a 10-3 league mark, thanks to a 78-75 Stockton win at William Paterson Feb. 9. WP, MSU and Ramapo have secured the North's three tourney bids, while Stockton, Rowan and Kean have qualified from the South. The winner of both the North and South will receive a bye for the first-round games, to be played Tuesday, Feb. 26.
William Paterson will finish the regular season Saturday, Feb. 23, at Rutgers-Newark at 7:30 p.m., while the Roadrunners will host Montclair State Feb. 23 at 3:00 p.m.
