NEWARK, NJ – Tournament MVP David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic HS) had game highs of 15 points and nine rebounds to pace Rutgers-Newark to a 77-59 win over Fredonia State in the championship game of the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic in The Golden Dome.

NCAA BOX SCORES:   R-N 77, Fredonia State 59     Allegheny 88, Medgar Evers 61

Junior forward Deshawn Singleton (Passaic, NJ/Passaic), who joined Cherry on the all-tournament squad, had 11 points, four rebounds and two steals for the Scarlet Raiders (2-0) while junior guard Tim Smith (Mullica Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) notched nine points and five assists. Junior guard De'Vion Manning (Maplewood, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep) tied Smith for the team assist lead with five and added seven points.

Junior forward Phil Barnes (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) came off the bench for 10 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots while junior guard James Johnson (Summit, NJ/Summit) hit two of four shots from 3-point range to finish with a dozen points and two assists.

Rutgers-Newark (2-0) used smothering defense to fashion a 37-28 halftime lead. The Blue Devils (1-1) whittled the Raider lead to 41-36 on a 3-point jumper by senior guard Wayne Davis which capped an 8-0 run with just 2:20 gone in the second period.

But that was as close as Fredonia would get as the Raiders pulled away to a 57-41 lead punctuated by a Barnes dunk with 11:43 left.

All-tournament guard Brad Cooper and senior guard Kevin Saunders paced Fredonia with 10 points apiece. Saunders added four rebounds and four assists. Senior center Bryan Morse worked inside for eight points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Blue Devils.

JOHN K. ADAMS TIP-OFF CLASSIC MVP
David Cherry, Rutgers-Newark
JOHN K. ADAMS TIP-OFF ALL-CLASSIC TEAM
Deshawn Singleton, Rutgers-Newark; Brad Cooper, Fredonia State; George Raftis, Allegheny;
Ronald Holloway, Medgar Evers.