NEWARK, NJ – Senior forward David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic HS) poured in 11 of his game-high 19 points in the second half to lead Rutgers-Newark to a 51-43 New Jersey Athletic Conference win over William Paterson in The Golden Dome.
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Cherry, who knocked down five of nine shots from 3-point range, helped keep the Scarlet Raiders (13-10, NJAC 6-5) alive in the battle for one of six NJAC Championship Tournament berths while denying the Pioneers (18-5, NJAC 7-4) a win which would have clinched one of three North Division slots.
Cherry, who notched just four points on one of seven shooting in the Raiders' 71-54 loss in Wayne on January 21, tied his career-high for treys. He matched his total set in a 60-54 win over Rowan in the game immediately following the WPU loss, needing two fewer tries to reach the high water mark.
Junior forward Phil Barnes (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) battled inside for a game-high 10 rebounds and added nine points for R-N while junior guard Tim Smith (Mullica Hills, NJ/Camden Catholic) chipped in eight points, two steals and an assist.
Pioneer senior forward Jordan Fowler paced the Pioneers with 11 points, three assists and four rebounds while junior guard Tim Lucas hit three of five shots from beyond the arc for also register 11 points.
Rutgers-Newark led the entire second half, but never by more than eight points.
A pair of free throws by Lucas with 4:54 left trimmed the Raider lead to 43-40, but Smith's lone trey of the night at 4:16 pushed the lead back to six. Lucas knocked down a 3-pointer with 3:11 left to make it 46-43, but the Pioneers would fail to score another point. A Smith jumper with 1:43 left gave Rutgers-Newark some breathing room before a Barnes free throw at 22 seconds and a pair of charity tosses by Cherry with seven ticks remaining sealed the deal.
In a nip-and-tuck opening half, a driving layup by Smith gave Rutgers-Newark a 19-18 lead. There were four lead changes in the closing 4:30 of the period in a physical defensive struggle. Fowler opened the game with a jumper and a dunk before a trey by Lucas gave WPU a quick 7-0 lead. The Raiders didn't get a field goal until Barnes put in a follow shot with nearly seven minutes gone to make it 7-4.
Cherry will be honored before Saturday's final home game of the regular season on Saturday which Rutgers-Newark hosts North Division leading Montclair State on Senior Day in The Golden Dome. The Raider women take on the Red Hawks at 5:30 p.m. with the men to follow at 7:30.
