NEWARK, NJ – Rutgers-Newark begins its quest for a New Jersey Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday at 7 p.m. in The Golden Dome against Kean University.

The Scarlet Raiders (19-6, NJAC 9-4), who set a program record for wins in a season with a 65-59 road win over Ramapo on Wednesday, must beat a Kean (9-15, NJAC 6-7) team which dealt Rutgers-Newark a 70-57 loss in Union on January 23.

The six-team bracket is set with Ramapo (17-8, NJAC 7-6), the third seed in the league's North Division, going to Rowan (16-8, NJAC 7-6), No. 2 in the South, at 4 p.m. Saturday in the other first-round game.

The semifinals will be played on Wednesday with the Raiders-Cougars winner facing defending NJAC champion Richard Stockton (19-6, NJAC 9-4) in Pomona and the Rowan-Ramapo victor visiting William Paterson (23-2, NJAC 1), the North's top seed. Both games tip off at 7 p.m.

The championship game will be played on the home court of the highest surviving seed on Saturday, February 27.

This marks the Raiders' fifth NJAC Tournament appearance in the last six seasons. Rutgers-Newark advanced to the league championship game against Richard Stockton last February, bowing to the eventual NCAA Division III runner-up, 62-54.

General admission is $5 with students, children (12 and under), and senior citizens (65 and older) being admitted for $2.