SAN JUAN, P.R. - The Benedictine University men's basketball team rallied from down 15 in the final minutes but could not close the door in an 83-76 defeat at the hands of Ramapo to end a trip to Puerto Rico.

For the second consecutive contest, Benedictine utilized a quick start. The Eagles netted the first four points of the contest on layups from Tim McGinty and Tahron Harvey. Benedictine led 12-6 with just over 15 minutes left in the first half and held the lead until falling behind 18-16 near the mid-point of the first. Ramapo went on to lead by as many as eight points in the half as late at 4:18 left in the first. John Dodson scored the first four points of a 10-0 run that allowed Benedictine to again move ahead late in the first. Michael Blaszczyk tallied a layup in the final minute to make the score 39-37 Benedictine. A frantic final minute saw Ramapo lead 41-40 at the break. Benedictine shot 60 percent in the first half.

Blaszczyk knocked down a pair of threes in the opening minutes of the second as Benedictine held a 46-45 edge with 15:54 to play. Ramapo tallied nine consecutive points to jump ahead by eight at 54-46. The Ramapo advantage grew to double digits at the halfway point of the second and swelled to 15 points at 71-56 with under five minutes remaining. Dodson netted five straight points to help Benedictine begin to rally. McGinty drained a three-pointer with 3:05 to go, bringing the Eagles within 71-69. Still down by two points with just over two minutes to play, Benedictine could pull no closer.

Benedictine could not overcome 26 turnovers in the contest, which featured five ties and five lead changes. The Eagles held a 32-31 edge on the glass. McGinty followed up a strong showing on Sunday with 21 points on Monday, matching game high honors. Dodson netted 18 points with Blaszczyk tallying 12 and Harvey 11. Harvey notched seven rebounds and six assists.

Benedictine (6-5) returns to action on Saturday afternoon with a home conference contest against Marian at 4:15 p.m.