BUFFALO, NY – Junior forward Ryan Gillens (Newark, NJ/Eastside HS) connected on a layup with just three seconds left to lift Rutgers-Newark to a 76-74 win over John Carroll in the opening game of the Buffalo State Coles Classic in the Buffalo State Sports Arena.
NCAA Box Score & Play-by-Play
A furious rally lifted the Scarlet Raiders (3-0) into tomorrow's championship game against Thomas More, a 75-71, winner over host Buffalo State in the nightcap. The championship game will tip off at 1 p.m. while the consolation contest will be played at 3 o'clock.
Gillens, who hit five of seven shots from the floor and seven of 10 from the free throw line to equal his career high, added four rebounds and two steals while junior forward Deshawn Singleton (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) muscled inside for game highs of 21 points and eight rebounds as the Blue Streaks shut down high-scoring senior forward David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic).
Cherry, who scored just five points, put the Raiders up, 74-72, with a layup with 1:14 left to help highlight a nail-biting final four and half minutes which featured five ties and four lead changes.
Junior forward Rudy Kirbus, who finished with a dozen points and six rebounds for the Blue Streaks, dropped in a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left to knot things at 74-47 to set the stage for Gillens' heroics following a John Carroll timeout.
Junior guard James Johnson (Summit, NJ/Summit) poured in 10 of his 14 points during a 16-4 run which knotted the score for the first time since the opening minute at 66-66 with 4:28 left.
Junior guard Tim Smith (Mullica Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) came up with a game-high seven steals to key the Raider defense and added nine points and three rebounds.
John Carroll jumped out to an early 30-15 lead and held onto a 40-30 lead at the half. A pair of free throws by junior forward Brian Hamrick staked the Blue Streaks to a 62-50 lead with 9:11 remaining before a pair of Gillens free throws ignited the 16-4 rally by the Raiders.
Sophomore forward Maurice Haynes netted 13 points for John Carroll before fouling out while freshman guard Michael Hartnett hit three of nine shots from beyond the arc for nine points.
