NEW YORK – Junior forward David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic HS) score the winning basket with just two seconds remaining as Rutgers-Newark slipped past CCNY, 58-56, in a non-conference basketball game in the Nat Holman Gym.
NCAA BOX SCORE
Cherry, who finished with nine points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, set up the game-winning basket by snaring a rebound to end a frantic attempt by the Beavers to take the lead in the final minute.
Junior guard Chadd Barnes (Newark, NJ/University) poured in a game-high 22 points and added six rebounds and three assists for the Raiders (1-2), but it was the play of seldom-used reserve forward Phil Barnes (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) that spelled the difference. The slender 6-foot-6 Barnes (no relation to the All-NJAC guard) had career highs of nine points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes to offset an off night for Raider big men.
In a game that featured 10 lead changes and eight ties, it was Cherry who came up with the big plays at the finish. But it was Chadd Barnes that put him in position to become the hero.
Barnes, who scored 15 points in the second half, went on a one-man 9-0 run to erase an 8-point deficit and give the Raiders a brief 44-43 lead with 11:43 left in the contest. He had two jumpers, followed by a trey, capped off with a pair of free throws to get Rutgers-Newark back into the contest.
After the Beavers reeled off six straight points to lead 49-44, Barnes scored the first six points in an 8-0 Raider burst which was capped by a pair of free throws by sophomore forward Deshawn Singleton (Passaic, NJ/Passaic).
But the Beavers were not done. After a Cherry free throw gave the Raiders a 55-50 lead with just 3:21 left, CCNY reeled off six straight points to lead 56-55 win just 1:57 on the clock. A free throw by senior guard Angel Collado (Jersey City, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) knotted the score with 1:29 remaining, setting the stage for a wild finish.
Rutgers-Newark missed two shots after Phil Barnes rebounded Collado's miss on the second free throw. The Beavers then missed a jump shot and a pair of three point attempts over the next minute before Cherry finally corralled a defensive rebound to set up his decisive basket.
After a 30-second timeout, Cherry took the ball on the right side, drove to the side of the lane and banked in a spinning jumper off the glass for the game winner.
CCNY called a timeout, but the Beavers never got off the final shot, losing control of the ball on the inbounds.
Collado finished with five points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals and just two turnovers in 38 minutes at the point.
The Raiders hit 16 of 22 free throws after shooting less than 50 per cent from the line in their two season-opening losses while CCNY made only nine of 15 foul shots.
Rutgers-Newark takes a Thanksgiving Holiday break before resuming play on Wednesday, November 28, against Medgar Evers in a non-conference doubleheader in The Golden Dome. The women tip off at 5:30 p.m. with the men to follow at 7:30.
