NEWARK, NJ – Junior point guard Tim Smith (Mullica Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic HS) netted seven of his 11 points during an opening 29-10 run which carried Rutgers-Newark to a 72-53 win over Kean in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game in The Golden Dome.
NCAA Box Score & Play-by-Play
Eight different Scarlet Raiders (6-1, NJAC 2-0) scored during the opening rally with junior guard James Johnson (Summit, NJ/Summit), who finished with nine points, capping the spree with a 3-point jumper followed by a 2-point jumper with 10:58 left in the opening half.
The Cougars (3-5, NJAC 0-2) trimmed the lead to 38-24 on jumper by sophomore forward Jonathan Jones, who had 10 points, four rebounds and three steals, with just 30 seconds left in the opening period, capping a 6-0 run.
But, junior forward Deshawn Singleton (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) knocked down a turnaround 10-foot buzzer beater from the left side of the lane as the halftime buzzer sounded to push the halftime lead to 16 for the Raiders. Singleton finished the night with seven points and seven rebounds.
The Cougars trimmed the Raider lead to a dozen at 44-32on a tip-in by sophomore guard Dean Hughes with 15:01 remaining, but the Raiders pulled away to lead by as many as 23 down the stretch. Hughes paced the Cougars with 11 points.
Raider junior guard De'Vion Manning (Maplewood, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep) netted seven of his nine points in the second half while senior forward David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic) added seven points, and six rebounds to go along with team highs of three assists and three steals. Junior forward Phil Barnes (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) hauled down a game-high 10 rebounds and added eight points and two assists.
Kean sophomore forward Akinwande Oshodi worked inside for eight rebounds, six points, two steals and a blocked shot while junior guard Vinnie Darpino chipped in eight points.
Rutgers-Newark hosts Baruch in a women's and men's doubleheader on Monday in The Golden Dome. The women will tip off at 5:30 p.m. with the men to follow at 7:30.
