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WOOSTER, OH--In front of a capacity crowd of 3,075 at The
College of Wooster, the host Scots took the lead for good with 4:58
remaining and survived a potential game-tying jumper with two seconds left
to earn a 68-64 victory in the NCAA Sectional Final over Ramapo.
The loss ended the season for Ramapo (26-4), while Wooster (29-2) advanced
to the NCAA Final Four in Salem, VA where they will face Williams in the
National Semifinals.
Ramapo
never trailed in the first half and enjoyed its biggest lead of the game
at 16-6 with 13:24 remaining in the first stanza. The host Scots regrouped
and closed out the half with a 7-0 run in the final three minutes to tie the game at 30-30 at the break.
Wooster
took its first lead of the game in the opening seconds of the second half,
before the lead see-sawed back and forth until the closing
minutes. In all, seven ties and four lead changes took place down the
stretch in the game's closing eight minutes.
The Scots opened up a 66-62 lead with just 1:17 remaining, before Ramapo
freshman Elizar Velez banked in shot to cut the Roadrunner deficit to
66-64 with 1:01 remaining. Following a defensive stop, Ramapo attempted to
play for a final shot, but later elected to call timeout with just 0:08
remaining.
With two seconds remaining, Ramapo's Jared Milligan missed an open
baseline jumper, and the game's critical rebound was secured by Scot point
guard Kyle Witucky. Two successful Wooster free throws provided the final
68-64 margin of victory.
"We're disappointed in tonight's outcome, but I couldn't be prouder
of our season," said fifth-year Ramapo head coach Chuck McBreen.
"I also want to thank out athletic director Eugene Marshall, our
administration, and especially our fans for all of their support
throughout what has been the best season in school history."
NJAC Player of the Year Charles Ransom tallied a team-high 20 points,
while senior guard Tennyson Whitted collected four points and three
assists. Both players were named to the NCAA All-Sectional team along with
Montclair State guard Ben Martinez.
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