Senior Night Insert

Ewing, NJ … In a thrilling contest in Packer Hall, The College of New Jersey men's basketball team suffered a 78-77 overtime loss to Ramapo College on Wednesday night.
 
The loss dropped the Lions to 13-10 and 8-8 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference standings. They remain in fifth place entering their match-up this Saturday with William Paterson University. The Pioneers kept their playoff hopes alive with a victory at Kean University.
 
The Roadrunners improved to 15-8 and 11-5 in the NJAC. They locked up a home playoff game with the win.
 
TCNJ had no reason to hang its head in defeat in this one. They battled their way back against a talented Ramapo squad and nearly pulled off a tremendous come-from-behind win. The Lions took a 77-76 lead with 26 seconds remaining in overtime when sophomore Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater) deposited a layup. Ramapo sophomore Thomas Bonacum (Fanwood, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood), who led all scorers with 30 points (and grabbed 12 rebounds), was then fouled with eight seconds remaining. He converted both free throws to put the Roadrunners up by a point.
 
On the ensuing possession, junior Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) released the potential game-winner that appeared destined for the bottom of the net. But the ball rimmed out to end a thrilling conference showdown enjoyed by all in attendance.
 
Murdock, Jr. led the Lions with 18 points and six assists, while Klacik finished with 15. The duo teamed up for seven three-point field goals in the game. Junior Nick Alaimo (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) and freshman Kevin Bloodgood (Oceanport, NJ/Shore Regional) also reached double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively.
 
The Lions held a 13-9 lead early in the opening half, but a 9-0 run by the Roadrunners put the visitors in the driver's seat. Murdock, Jr. connected three times from downtown to keep TCNJ in striking distance of Ramapo. His third made it a 34-33 game, but James Long answered with a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the Roadrunners to the locker room with a 37-33 advantage.
 
Ramapo pressed the majority of the second half and forced the Lions to work hard from key to key. A three-pointer by Klacik from the right side closed the gap to 60-54. Bonacum answered with a layup as the shot clock expired and Long converted a layup off a steal to push the Roadrunner lead back to ten.
 
TCNJ continued to show its mettle, and the inspired play of senior Nick Brackett (Lawrence, NJ/Lawrence) cut the margin to three points. He banked in back-to-back layups to make it a 64-61 game, bringing the crowd to its feet and forcing Ramapo to call a timeout with 3:14 to play.
 
Trailing 66-64, Alaimo attempted a three to give the Lions the lead, but the ball somehow spun in and out of the basket to miss its mark. The Roadrunners hit a pair of free throws at the other end before sophomore Elias Bermudez (Westwood, NJ/Westwood) knocked down a pair. After a Ramapo miss, Murdock, Jr. grabbed the rebound and raced the length of the floor to drop in a layup and tie the game at 68 with 31 second remaining.
 
Ramapo had one last shot, but the ball bounced in and out to send the game to overtime. The Lions surged to a five-point advantage, but the Roadrunners finished strong to secure the win.
 
Bonacum finished with a double double for the Roadrunners, while senior Frank Nock added 14 points and three steals.
 
Brackett set a career-high with nine points and four rebounds to punctuate his senior night with a strong performance. Bermudez led TCNJ with nine boards, three on the offensive end.
 
The Lions will visit WPU this Saturday and look to clinch a playoff berth. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m.