Ewing, NJ … In one of the most intensely played and exciting basketball games in recent memory, The College of New Jersey men's basketball team upset seventh-ranked Ramapo College 84-78 on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Lions (16-6, 12-3 NJAC) remained undefeated in Packer Hall this season, moving to 11-0 at home as they handed the seventh-ranked Roadrunners (20-2, 13-2) only their second loss of the year. TCNJ played a phenomenal second half, shooting 69 percent from the floor and 8-of-11 (72 percent) from three-point distance.
 
The game was a battle of two teams atop the New Jersey Athletic Conference standings. The Roadrunners still have a hold on first place, while the Lions currently sit in second place. New Jersey City University (17-4, 11-3 NJAC) takes on Rowan University later this evening at 7:30 p.m. in Glassboro, NJ.
 
The opening 20 minutes was choppy, but competitive. The Lions connected on just 9-of-26 shots, but did shoot better from behind the arc (5-of-12) at a 38 percent clip. Freshman Ryan Jensen (Manasquan, NJ/Manasquan) provided productive minutes off the bench, tallying nine points and securing six rebounds in 12 minutes. That kept TCNJ within striking distance as they trailed just by one, 33-32 at the half.
 
The Lions were exceptional after the break. They withstood an early run by Ramapo in the opening five minutes and trailed by five at 47-42. TCNJ heated up to hit three consecutive three-point field goals to tie the game at 51 with 12 minutes to play. Senior Corey Stanford (Pittsburgh, PA/Penn Trafford) drew blood first and then Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater) connected from nearly the same spot. Trailing by three points, Stanford found classmate Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) alone in the left corner and he found nothing but net to bring the crowd to its feet.
 
Junior Elias Bermudez (Westwood, NJ/Westwood) then took a feed from Murdock, Jr. and banked in a bucket and Klacik followed with another bomb put the Lions on top 56-53 with 10 to play.
 
With under seven minutes left in the match, TCNJ again caught fire with a balanced shooting attack. Sophomore Jordan Glover (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) hit from behind the arc to push ahead 65-58. The Roadrunners rallied and cut their deficit to two points on a Thomas Bonacum three-pointer, but Murdock, Jr. then ran off five straight points. Senior Kevin Johnson (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) struck from downtown to stretch the host advantage to 75-66 with 3:42 to play.
 
With under two minutes remaining and up 76-70, Klacik dropped the hammer on the Roadrunners with his fourth three-pointer of the game. The Lions did what they needed to do in the final minute to hold Ramapo and secure the upset win.
 
The intensity of the match became emotional after the final buzzer as both teams traded pleasantries on the floor. But it wasn't much more than two really good teams that badly wanted to win the game, as cooler heads prevailed and order was re-established.

Murdock, Jr. led all scorers with 18 points and a career-high 11 assists. Jensen posted a career-high 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Bermudez finished with 15 points. Klacik added 14 points and Glover chipped in with nine.
 
Christopher Mosely led the Roadrunners with 14 points, while Bonacum finished with 13 and Josh Ford added 12 points.
 
The Lions have three more conference regular season games on their schedule. They visit William Paterson University on Wednesday night, Montclair State on Saturday, and conclude with Rutgers-Newark at home on Wednesday, February 15^th. The NJAC Championship Tournament opens on Saturday, February 18^th. The top two teams in the standings earn a first-round bye. The third- and fourth-place teams host the five and six seeds in the opening round.