Ewing, NJ …The College of New Jersey men's basketball team came from behind to defeat Ramapo College 76-71 and qualify for the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament for the first time in six years.
 
Trailing for over 36 minutes in the game, the Lions (13-10, 9-7 NJAC) fought tooth and nail to wrestle the win away from the Roadrunners and punch their ticket to the NJAC playoffs. Ramapo dropped to 13-10 overall and 7-9 in the conference. Since TCNJ swept the season series, the Roadrunners can not catch the Lions with just two games to play in the regular season.
 
TCNJ will now battle for a home playoff game over its final two contests. They are currently in a three-way tie for third place with Rutgers-Newark and Rowan University. The Profs defeated Montclair State University 80-78 to improve to 9-7 in the league, while the Scarlet Raiders were upset by Rutgers University-Camden 74-69 to fall to 9-7.
 
The Lions need to finish in fourth place or higher to host a post-season match. Fortunately, their final two regular season games will be played in Packer Hall.
 
Junior Bobby Brackett (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) stepped forward with a tremendous effort for TCNJ, scoring 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting and collecting 11 rebounds. The Lions had three more players finish in double figures, showcasing their depth on offense. Senior Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy) finished with 16 points and also grabbed nine boards. Freshman Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) tallied 12 points and dished out five assists, while sophomore Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) hit several clutch free throws down the stretch to finish with 11 points.
 
The Roadrunners controlled the opening half and led by as many as 10 points late in the period. They shot 54 percent from the floor and drained 12 shots from the free throw line. A pair of foul shots by freshman Josh Ford (Fort Lee, NJ/Fort Lee) put Ramapo ahead 31-21 with 6:44 remaining. A jumper by Brackett cut the Lions' deficit to three points, but the host scored the final four points to take a 41-34 advantage into the break.
 
Ramapo maintained control in the second period, but TCNJ stayed the course and gradually chipped away at the lead. A jumper by Klacik made it a 54-51 game with 10:45 left in the match.
 
The Lions shaved the lead to one point on two occasions, but could not seem to get over the hump. With 4:02 remaining, however, Brackett dropped in a free throw to tie the contest at 64. It marked the first time the score was even since the opening tip-off.
 
Sophomore James Long (Matawan, NJ/St. Joe's Metuchen) hit a jump shot for Ramapo to regain the lead, but it would be their last. Johnson hit a free throw followed by a basket off the finger tips from Murdock, Jr. to give TCNJ its first lead of the game with 3:34 left on the clock.
 
Following a missed three-pointer by Ramapo, Klacik was fouled taking a shot from behind the arc. He knocked down all three attempts from the charity stripe to extend the lead to 70-66.
 
Three free throws by Bonacum over the next 40 seconds pulled the Roadrunners within a point. Johnson responded by drilling a clutch jumper with 1:01 remaining to push the lead back to three. In the final minute, Ramapo stayed alive, but Brackett and Klacik each converted a pair of free throws, enabling the Lions to clinch their first post-season berth since the 2008-09 season.
 
Four Roadrunners also reached double figures. Bonacum finished with a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds. Long registered 11 points, while Ford and Nock netted 10 points.
 
For TCNJ, freshman Elias Bermudez (Westwood, NJ/Westwood) contributed five points and five boards. Senior Alex Fox (Washington, NJ/Westwood) also grabbed five rebounds, while sophomore Alex Cirlincione (Oakhurst, NJ/Ocean) gave quality minutes with five assists.
 
The Lions return home to square off against first-place William Paterson University on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Packer Hall. The regular season finale is on Wednesday, February 18^th against Kean University at 8 p.m.