NEWARK, NJ – Junior guard Chadd Barnes netted 10 of his 16 team-high points and freshman guard Phil Valdez notched nine of his career-high 13 points during a 36-9 second-half surge which carried Rutgers-Newark to a 76-55 New Jersey Athletic Conference win over Montclair State in The Golden Dome.
NCAA Box Score
The win gave the Scarlet Raiders (12-9, NJAC 5-4) a split of their regular-season series with the Red Hawks (12-9, NJAC 5-4), leaving the squads level in the race for one of three North Division berths for the upcoming NJAC Championship Tournament with just four games remaining. With Ramapo posting a 70-61 win at New Jersey City tonight, there is now a four-way tie for second place in the North Division -- Rutgers-Newark, Montclair State, New Jersey City and Ramapo -- behind 8-0 William Paterson which was idle tonight.
RAIDER VISION HIGHLIGHT VIDEO
Freshman guard Tom Bonard, who scored a game-high 17 points to go along with four assists and four rebounds, hit a jumper to give Montclair State a 42-38 lead with 14:56 left just before Rutgers-Newark erupted.
Joining Barnes and Valdez in the spree were sophomore guard James Johnson,who netted seven of his 14 points, as well as junior forward David Cherry and sophomore forward Deshawn Singleton who chipped in five points apiece during the 11-minute run.
Bonard, who hit four of five shots from beyond the arc in the opening period, drained three treys in the final 3:03 of the opening half as the Red Hawks capped the period with a 13-5 spurt which gave them a 33-32 lead at intermission. Freshman guard James Williams muscled inside for nine of his 11 points in the period. Williams led Montclair State with six rebounds.
Junior center Afolabi Ajumobi scored all seven of his points as Rutgers-Newark opened the game with a 10-2 run. But, the Red Hawks kept the deficit in single digits until the period-ending rally evened things up for the second half. Ajumobi finished with eight rebounds.
Cherry finished with nine points, four assists and a game-high 12 rebounds as Rutgers-Newark dominated the glass, 51-38. Singleton posted a double-double with a dozen points and 10 rebounds while adding three assists. Held scoreless for the night, sophomore forward Phil Barnes hauled down 10 rebounds, dished off three assists, blocked two shots and made two steals.
Rutgers-Newark travels to Kean on Saturday for an NJAC doubleheader with the men's tip off set for 3 p.m. while the Red Hawks will host Rowan with the men's game beginning at 4 o'clock.
