Wooster, Ohio -The Montclair State men's basketball team saw its 2002-03 season come to a close on Friday evening as the Red Hawks fell to Ramapo, 89-80, at the NCAA Division III Sectional Tournament held at Wooster College.

The Red Hawks, who captured their first NJAC Championship since 1982, end their most successful season in 18 years at 23-6, one win shy of the school record set by 1969. The loss also snapped Montclair's six-game winning streak dating back to February 15th.

Senior guard BEN MARTINEZ (Scotch Plains, NJ/SP-Fanwood), who was named to the Sectional All-Tournament Team, matched his career high with 24 points as MSU fell to the Roadrunners for the third time in four meetings this season. Montclair topped Ramapo, 86-84 in double-overtime in the NJAC Championship Game to earn a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since 1995.

NJAC Player of the Year Charles Ransom had a game-high 30 points for the Roadrunners (27-3), who move on to meet host Wooster in the Sectional Final on Saturday, March 15th. The winner of that game advances to the NCAA Division III Final Four in Salem, VA on March 21-22.

Martinez scored 18 points in the first half as Montclair State trailed by two, 47-45 at intermission. In the second half, MSU trailed 58-57 before JEROME TRAWICK (Newark, NJ/Clifford Scott) scored on a layup to give Montclair the lead. MICHAEL DAVIS (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) added a layup to make the score 63-58 and after a Ramapo basket, Martinez scored four straight points to give the Red Hawks a 67-60 lead with 9:29 to play.

Davis' layup just under a minute later gave MSU a 69-60 lead and the advantage was 73-66 with 7:01 to play as PIERRE MITCHELL (Newark, NJ/Newark) sank a three-pointer.

But Ramapo came back as they outscored Montclair 18-5 over the next five minutes. Kevin Stokes began the run with a three-point play and Ransom's layup tied the game at 73-73 with 5:43 left in the contest. Montclair would retake the lead at 78-76 as Trawick hit 1-of-2 free throws, however, the Roadrunners scored the next 10 points to take control of the game.

Amin Wright hit on a layup for the 12th tie of the game and Ransom's layup and ensuing foul shot gave Ramapo an 81-78 lead with 3:30 to play. Ransom then delivered the final blow to Montclair's Elite 8 hopes by drilling a three-pointer from the left corner with 2:47 left as Ramapo led 84-78.

Mitchell finished with 13 points for Montclair State, while MICHAEL GLUCK (Union, NJ/Union) had 10. Martinez, playing in his final game for the Red Hawks added six assists with fellow classmate JOSEPH THOMAS (Linden, NJ/Linden) had 11 points and six rebounds for MSU, which shot 46 percent from the field (30-of-65) and 10-of-25 (40 percent) from three-point range. Montclair struggled at the free throw line making just 10-of-18 opportunities.

Stokes and Jared Milligan had 13 points apiece for Ramapo, which shot 34-of-67 (51 percent) from the field in reaching the Elite 8 for the first time since 1991. Wright had 10 points while Tennyson Whitted, the Division III leader in assists, handed out 10.

In the tightly-played first half, the Red Hawks led 31-28 with 6:36 to play before Ramapo went on 12-0 run to take a nine-point lead at 40-31. Ransom had six of those points. However, the Red Hawks responded with a 14-5 run to tie the game with 29 seconds left in the half on a Davis layup.

Ransom gave Ramapo the lead at 47-45 with a short jumper with three seconds to go.