Thomas Bonacum might just win an ESPY for his heroics Friday night.
Or, at the very least, he might end up on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.
The junior forward from Scotch Plains-Fanwood banked in a miraculous 3-pointer from just past the halfcourt line to lift Ramapo College to a 67-64 triumph over New Jersey City University in the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship game in Mahwah.
With the score tied at 64-apiece in Oleybet the waning seconds, Bonacum caught a pass from Josh Ford and quickly hoisted a shot while falling forward to the court. The shot hits the glass and banks through the net, causing a crowd of 1,454 fans to erupt.
Game winning shot by Thomas Bonacum #1 Ramapo to 67-64 win over #3 NJCU. #SCtop10 #d3h @RamapoCollegeNJ @NJACSports pic.twitter.com/M4BY8hetxW
— RCNJ Athletics (@RCNJAthletics) February 25, 2017
A two-time All-NJAC first-team selection, Bonacum led all scorers with 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the floor and added nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in 39 minutes of action as Ramapo (25-2) captured its fourth NJAC title to automatically qualify for the NCAA Division III tournament.
A 6-6, 230-pound junior, Bonacum earned the NJAC Player of the Year honor this season after leading the conference in scoring in league games (18.2 points-per-game) and ranking third in field goal percentage (.538), sixth in rebounding (6.6) and sixth in assists (3.1).
The Roadrunners rallied from a 46-35 halftime deficit by outscoring NJCU, 32-18, in the second half and captured their fifth straight win. They will now head to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years.
Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him
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