Mahwah, NJ - Senior guard
BEN MARTINEZ (Scotch Plains, NJ/SP-Fanwood) drove the length of the floor and scored on a layup with 1.9 seconds remaining as Montclair State captured its first New Jersey Athletic Conference title in 21 years with an 86-84 double-overtime victory over Ramapo in the NJAC Championship Game on Friday evening.
Junior center
JEROME TRAWICK (Newark, NJ/Clifford Scott) scored 21 points, added 11 rebounds and six assists as MSU rallied from four points down in the last minute to win their first league crown since 1982. With the win, Montclair (21-5) earns the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament, which begins on Thursday, March 6th.
It will be MSU's first appearance in the NCAA's since 1995. Selection of the 48-team field will be on Sunday, March 2nd at 9:00 pm.
MSU, which fell to Ramapo twice during the regular season, trailed 84-80 with a minute left to play before rallying for the final six points.
PIERRE MITCHELL (Newark, NJ/East Side) hit 1-of-2 free throws to pull the Red Hawks within three.
Ramapo then ran down the game clock down to 25 seconds before Rasheen Gadsen missed a layup.
MICHAEL GLUCK (Union, NJ/Union) got the rebound ahead to Mitchell who stroked a three to tie the game at 84-84 with 17 seconds left.
The Roadrunners held possession and Gadsen again missed another layup with four seconds to play. Martinez, the only four-year player on the roster, got the rebound and raced the length of the floor for the winning basket and sending the MSU bench into a frenzy. Ramapo's final shot hit the backboard.
Mitchell finished with 18 points, including five three-pointers. Martinez had 11 points as MSU shot 23-of-44 (52 percent) in the second half and two overtime periods. The solid shooting overcame the Red Hawks' misfortune at the free-throw line (10-of-21) as well as 24 turnovers.
NJAC Player of the Year Charles Ransom had 22 points for Ramapo, which shot just 36 percent in the game, including 3-of-22 from three-point range. Montclair also outrebounded Ramapo, 53-47.
