Stockton wins New Jersey Athletic Conference 2015 championship - Feb 28, 2015

In front of a crowd of over 1,100, Richard Stockton University (22-5), ranked #21 nationally by D3hoops.com, won their second consecutive NJAC title and eighth overall with a nail-biting 65-61 victory over William Paterson (20-7) on Friday night. The contest featured seven ties and 21 lead changes. With the win, the Ospreys received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Stockton and William Paterson met for the ninth time in the title game, with Stockton winning five of the matchups.
Both squads came out shooting well and neither team led by more than six points during the first half. The Pioneers built a 31-25 advantage before Stockton ended the half on a 14-4 run to take a 39-35 advantage at the break. Anthony Woodard (6'5''-F) (Atlantic City/Atlantic City) accounted for five of the markers during the spurt.
Stockton hit on 13-28 from the field (46.4%) while the Pioneers shot 44.4 percent (12-27) in the first half. The Ospreys also nailed 7-16 (43.8%) from behind the arc to help the cause. Josh Blamon (6'2''-F) (Cinnaminson/Cinnaminson) led the way with 10 points while Tom Catanoso (6'0''-PG) (Cape May CH/Middle Twp.) added eight points.
As expected, the second stanza was a defensive struggle. Stockton stretched the lead to six points on two occasions before the Pioneers roared back on a 7-0 run to retake the lead at 50-49 with 10:53 remaining. The squads traded the lead four times over the next nine minutes before Blamon sank a layup with 1:28 remaining for the seventh and final tie at 61-61.
After a missed Pioneer jumper, Blamon sank the go-ahead free throws with 45 seconds on the clock to put Stockton on top 63-61. After another William Paterson miss, Onnir Kendall (5'10''-PG) (Williamstown/Williamstown) hit one of two at the line to make it 64-61. A potential game-tying WPU three-point try was off the mark with three ticks left and Woodard grabbed the rebound and hit the clinching free throw for the 65-61 Stockton triumph.
Blamon led all scorers with 24 points, his fifth consecutive game over the 20-point mark. Blamon also had team highs of three assists and two steals. Catanoso tallied a career-high 11 markers as the only other Osprey in double figures. Blamon and Catanoso each drained three three-pointers. Woodard added eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.
For Wiiliam Paterson, Bright Mensah (6'4''-G) scored 13 points, 11 in the first half, while teammates Sandy Burgos (6'2''-G) and Terik Bridgeman (6'6''-G/F)n added 12 and 11 points respectively. Bridgeman snagged a game-high eight rebounds and dished three assists.
Stockton will find out their draw for the NCAA Division III Tournament on Monday at 12:30 pm. The selection show will air live on NCAA.com.

NJAC Tournament Final: Stockton - William Paterson 65-61
NJAC Tournament Semifinals:
Richard Stockton - Rutgers-Newark 70-54
Wiliam Paterson - NJCU 63-61

Courtesy of NJACSports