PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Northampton men's basketball team, which received votes in the latest NJCAA poll, downed 11th ranked Community College of Philadelphia on Tuesday evening, topping the Lions 76-74 at the CCP Physical Education Center.

The game was tied at 74 with 29 seconds left to play, when the Spartans ran a play for Abdul Jackson (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown), whose floater bounced off the rim.  Nasir Ruhani (Brooklyn, NY/Eagle Academy (NY)) grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled on the putback attempt, with 3 seconds remaining on the clock.  The sophomore calmly drilled both free throws to give the Spartans the 76-74 victory, as the Lions shot at the buzzer fell short.

Trailing at halftime 40-31, the Spartans outscored the Lions 45-34 in the second half to earn the hard fought road victory.  "Really good team effort tonight on the road against a top-15 opponent," remarked Head Coach Brennan McCarthy, "I thought our focus was good, even when were down, we continued to fight each possession and were able to make enough plays down the stretch to get a big win."

Ruhani finished with a team-high 26, including a 12 for 15 performance at the charity stripe.  Abdul Jackson (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) had 17 points and Nate Rivera (Bethlehem, PA/LIberty) added 13 for the Spartans.

The win moves Northampton to 14-2 overall, 9-2 in Region 19 and 4-1 in the EPAC.

Philadelphia falls to 13-4 overall, 8-2 in the Region and 2-2 in conference play.

The Spartans hit the road on Thursday for a non-conference matchup at NJCAA Division II Mercer County Community College.  Game time is set for 6pm in West Windsor, New Jersey.