NEWARK, NJ – Junior forwards Ralph Jones and Jeremiah Rivers posted their first career double-doubles as unbeaten Rutgers-Newark muscled past Baruch College, 88-75, in The Golden Dome.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Freshman reserve forward Christian Garcia netted a dozen of his game-high 22 points and junior guard Pedro Burgos poured in 11 of his 16 points in the second half as the Scarlet Raiders (7-0) broke away from the talented Bearcats (5-2) in the final minutes.

Baruch senior guard Lionel Hilaire made three of four 3-pointers while scoring 11 of his 18 points in the opening half as the Bearcats used long-range shooting to trail by just one, 38-37, at the intermission. Baruch made seven of 16 shots from beyond the arc in the opening period.

But the Raiders made 55.9% of their field goals in the second period with Jones and Rivers taking over inside.

Jones finished with career-highs of 20 points and five blocked shots while pulling down 10 rebounds and dishing off three assists. Rivers pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds, scored a dozen points, gave out three assists and made a pair of steals.

Sophomore guard Al'Don Muhammad posted a game-high seven assists while adding seven points and three rebounds. Sophomore forward Mark Moorman contributed six points and five rebounds in just 11 minutes.

Junior guard Chris Beauchamp netted a dozen of his team-high 20 points in the second half to help keep the Bearcats within striking distance. His jumper at 9:26 gave Baruch its final tie at 60-60. He finished with four rebounds and four assists.

Burgos then hit a trey and a layup to begin the decisive 16-3 run which staked the Raiders to a 76-63 lead with 3:17 remaining. The Bearcats got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Baruch senior center Sean Loftus notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots. Senior guard Tammer Farid added 14 points for the Bearcats.

Rutgers-Newark hosts Hunter College in a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday night in The Golden Dome. The Raider women (7-0) tip off against the Hawks at 6 p.m. with the men to follow at 8 o'clock.