JERSEY CITY, NJ – Rutgers-Newark senior point guard Angel Collado had a career-high 15 points but New Jersey City scored the first seven points in overtime to pulled out a crucial 77-71 New Jersey Athletic Conference victory.
NCAA Box Score
Juniors Chadd Barnes, who netted a dozen points, and David Cherry, who finished with nine points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots, netted field goals in the final two minutes to knot the score at 63-63 and force the overtime period as each team missed chances to win in the final 13 seconds.
But, Gothic Knight senior guard Dana John and reserve guard Derek Miller wrapped baskets around a 3-point jumper by guard Kevin Tucker to stake NJCU to a 70-63 lead with just two minutes left in overtime. The Raiders got no closer than four points on a Collado jumper with 47 seconds left the rest of the way to fall to 1-3 in NJAC play and 8-7 overall.
Sophomore forward Deshawn Singleton scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out a team-high four assists, came up with two steals and blocked a shot for Rutgers-Newark while junior center Afolabi Ajumobi came off the bench for a game-high nine rebounds in 21 minutes of play.
Singleton had eight points on three-for-three shooting from the field in the opening half as the Raiders trailed the heavily-favored Gothic Knights, 33-31. Barnes netted nine points in the second half as Rutgers-Newark forged four ties but could never get the lead against NJCU (11-4, NJAC 4-0) which extended its regular-season conference winning streak to 15 games dating back to last season.
In the end, the Gothic Knights won the game by hitting five more 3-point jumpers and seven more free throws than the visitors. NJCU was seven for 18 from beyond the arc while Rutgers-Newark made just two of 13 tries. At the charity stripe, the Gothic Knights drained 20 of 25 shots while the Raiders went 13 for 24.
Forward Marques Hill led a balanced Gothic Knight offense with 15 points, fueled by a nine for 10 night at the free throw line, and added seven rebounds and a game-high three blocked shots. John finished with 14 points while Tucker chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Raiders now face a critical battle against Ramapo (7-6, NJAC 2-1). The Rutgers-Newark women take on the Roadrunners at 5:30 p.m. in The Golden Dome before the men square off in a Northern Division contest at 7:30.
