NEWARK, NJ – Senior forward David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic HS) netted eight of his 18 points during a 13-2 run to close the opening half as Rutgers-Newark fought off York College of New York, 68-45, in The Golden Dome.
NCAA Box Score & Play-by-Play
Junior forward Phil Barnes (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) had eight of his 10 points and eight of his 11 rebounds in the second half as the Scarlet Raiders (7-3) pushed the lead to the final 23-point margin while never allowing the Cardinals (1-10) to get closer than 10. Cherry finished with a dozen rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.
Cherry, who posted a double-double in the first half with a dozen points and 10 rebounds, drained a pair of threes during the crucial run which shook the Scarlet Raiders from a lethargic start. When Cardinal sophomore forward Marcel Esonwune, who poured in 15 of his 18 points in the opening period, scored off of an offensive rebound with just 4:19 left in the first half, the Raiders held a slim 16-15 lead. To that point, Rutgers-Newark had as many turnovers as points in the contest.
But, junior guard Tim Smith (Mullica Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic), who finished with 17 points, drained a 3-point jumper from the left side with 3:49 left in the first period to ignite the decisive rally. Barnes hammered down a fastbreak dunk with just over a minute left before Cherry capped the spree with a 3-point jumper from the top of the arc with just four seconds left to give Rutgers-Newark a 29-17 lead at the break.
With Smith hitting all three of his shots from beyond the arc, the Raiders connected on seven of 12 from 3-point range and shot 51.9% from the floor for the game. York managed just 28.8% from the floor and knocked down just three of 14 treys.
Freshman guard Greg Moore (Jersey City, NJ/Bayonne) dished out a team-high five assists for the Raiders who also got seven points, four assists, three rebounds and a steal from junior guard James Johnson (Summit, NJ/Summit). Junior forward Deshawn Singleton (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) hit four of six from the floor on his way to eight points.
Esonwune hauled down a team-high 10 rebounds, blocked two shots and came up with three steals for York while junior guard Junior Fuller added nine points, two assists and two steals. Junior guard Ryan Exum had five assists and two steals for the Cardinals, but he went missed all 10 of his shots from the field to finish with two points.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Rutgers-Newark which now enters the fall final examination period and the semester break. The Scarlet Raiders will resume play at Hunter College in a men's and women's doubleheader on December 30. The women tip off at 1 p.m. with the men to follow at 3 o'clock.
