NEWARK, NJ – Senior forward Phil Barnes posted a double-double for Rutgers-Newark, but Montclair State overcame a horrid night at the free throw line to escape with a 71-67 New Jersey Athletic Conference win in The Golden Dome. 

Montclair State 71, Rutgers-Newark 67

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Barnes had 11 of his team-high 13 points and nine of his game-high 14 rebounds in the second half for Rutgers-Newark while senior forward Deshawn Singleton notched 10 of his 12 points after the intermission, but the Scarlet Raiders could not overcome 24 turnovers.

Senior guard Tim Smith totaled 11 points, four assists and three steals for Rutgers-Newark while sophomore guard Greg Moore contributed 11 points by hitting three of eight shots from beyond the arc.

Sophomore guard Paul Siljee, who had a game-high 18 points, nailed the last of his four 3-point jumpers with 1:40 left to give the Red Hawks (4-2, NJAC 1-0) a 66-57 lead before adding a pair of free throws at 1:19 to push the lead to 11. Montclair made just seven of 19 free throws in the second half while the Scarlet Raiders (3-2, NJAC 0-1) connected on 10 of 15 tries to stay in the contest.

Sophomore guard Ali Mix had 17 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals for Montclair while senior guard Ken Dudley added nine points, a game-high six assists, five rebounds and three steals. Freshman forward Robert Jackson chipped in nine points and six rebounds.

The Red Hawks led early minutes of the first half to the finish, but they nearly squandered a 16-point second-half lead. A Singleton layup followed by back-to-back jumpers by Barnes and Smith trimmed the Montclair lead to 68-63 with 54 seconds left. A pair of free throws just four seconds later by Dudley gave the Red Hawks some breathing room.

The Raiders dominated the rebounding, 49-38, with senior guard James Johnson hauling down seven rebounds to go along with nine points and Singleton collecting eight boards.

Rutgers-Newark hosts Rutgers-Camden in an NJAC doubleheader on Saturday in The Golden Dome. The women tip off at 6 p.m. with the men to follow at 8 o'clock.