MONTCLAIR, NJ – Rutgers-Newark junior guard James Johnson (Summit, NJ/Summit HS) netted a career-high 18 points, but Montclair State edged the Scarlet Raiders, 62-61, to take the lead in the New Jersey Athletic Conference North Division in the MSU Student Recreation Center.
NCAA Box Score & Play-by-Play
Junior forward Phil Barnes (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex), who finished with seven points and six rebounds, dropped in a pair of free throws with 33 ticks left to give the Raiders a 61-60 lead, but Red Hawk sophomore guard James Williams answered with two shots from the line with 21 second remaining to close out the scoring.
Rutgers-Newark got the final shot of the contest after the teams exchanged turnovers in the final 10 seconds, but Johnson's 3-point try from the top of the key missed the mark at the buzzer after a steal by junior guard De'Vion Manning (Maplewood, NJ/St. Benedict's).
Junior guard Tim Smith (Mullica Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) netted 10 of his 12 points in the opening half as the Raiders forged a 32-28 advantage.
Rutgers-Newark (10-6, NJAC 3-1) got 13 points and six rebounds from junior forward Deshawn Singleton (Passaic, NJ/Passaic), but the Red Hawks shut down high-scoring senior forward David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic) who scored a season-low three points while tying for the game high with eight rebounds.
Manning finished with eight points, a team-high three steals, two blocked shots and two assists for R-N.
Ultimately, it was the Raiders' nine-for-19 showing at the foul line which spelled defeat. The Red Hawks sank 18 of 27 free throws.
MSU (11-4, NJAC 4-1) seized the top slot in the North Division race behind senior Richard Brown's 13 points. Guard Tom Bonard netted 11 for the Red Hawks while collecting a game-high five steals. Jon Georges added nine points and eight rebounds for MSU while Williams and guard Ken Dudley tallied eight points apiece in the balanced Red Hawk attack.
Rutgers-Newark hosts The College of New Jersey in an NJAC doubleheader in The Golden Dome on Saturday. The women tip off at 5:30 p.m. with the men to follow at 7:30.
