SCHENECTADY, NY – Senior forward David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic HS) helped rally Rutgers-Newark into overtime against Southern Maine, but the Scarlet Raiders fell, 80-73, in the opening round of the Sig Makofski Invitational Tournament hosted by Union College.
NCAA Box Score & Play-by-Play
The Raiders (8-4) will play Medgar Evers, a 94-60 loser in the nightcap to host Union, at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the consolation contest. Rutgers-Newark downed the Cougars, 110-61, in the season opener for each squad in The Golden Dome on November 15 on the opening night of the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic.
Rutgers-Newark, which trailed from the 13-minute mark of the first half, knotted the score at 63-63 with just five seconds left on a 3-point jumper by Cherry to earn the extra period. A trey by freshman guard Greg Moore (Jersey City, NJ/Bayonne) with 13 ticks left trimmed the Huskie lead to 62-60 before freshman guard Mike Poulin made the second of two free throws with a dozen seconds remaining to set the stage for Cherry.
Cherry, who finished with team highs of 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals, poured in 18 points in the second half after netting only a free throw in the opening stanza when Rutgers-Newark slipped into a 32-25 deficit.
In overtime, a layup by Cherry gave Rutgers-Newark its final lead at 68-67 with 3:21 remaining. But, sophomore forward Otis Smith drained back-to-back 3-point jumpers to cap an 8-0 run which posted Southern Maine to a 75-68 lead with just 44 seconds left.
Junior forward Deshawn Singleton (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) had 17 points and five rebounds for the Raiders who lost in overtime for the second time this season. Junior guard Tim Smith (Mullica Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) was the only other Rutgers-Newark player in double figures, netting 10 points while adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Junior forward Phil Barnes (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) collared eight rebounds and scored seven points while Moore finished with eight points and a pair of assists.
Junior guard Andy Tracy led the Huskies with 21 points and added seven rebounds while Smith hit three of four 3-point tries to finish with 18 points. Junior forward Greg Whitaker and Poulin chipped in 13 points apiece for Southern Maine with Whitaker adding a team-high nine rebounds.
