SPRINGFIELD, MA – Tournament MVP
Pedro Burgos scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half as Rutgers-Newark fended off host Springfield College, 71-66, in the championship game of the Hampton Inn/Naismith Classic in Blake Arena.
BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY
Four starters posted 63 of the Scarlet Raiders' total and for the second game in a row Rutgers-Newark (12-1) weathered a furious rally by its opponent to earn the classic team championship.
Junior forward
Jeremiah Rivers, who joined Burgos on the all-tournament team, notched a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Guards
Al'Don Muhammad and
Greg Moore scored 13 points apiece.
Muhammad, who added six rebounds and four assists, iced the win with a pair of free throws with four seconds left after the Pride trimmed a 17-point second-half Rutgers-Newark lead to just three.
Springfield forward Matt Cavalieri, who paced the Pride with 22 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, buried a 3-point jumper with five seconds left to make it 69-66 and set the stage for Muhammad's clinching free throws.
A pair of free throws by Moore with 12:30 remaining gave the Raiders what seemed to be a comfortable 55-38 lead. But Cavalieri netted 11 points as Springfield out scored Rutgers-Newark, 26-14, to make the game a nail biter.
The Raiders took a 40-22 lead into the half after Moore had a pair of treys to key a decisive 22-5 run over the final 9:26 of the period. Moore, who hit three of six long-range jumpers in the first half, wrapped his 3-pointers around treys by sophomore guard
Tyler Jones and Burgos to ignite the run. Burgos had seven points during the rally.
Rutgers-Newark shot 50.0% (14-28) from the floor in the opening period with Rivers powering the attack. He made four of five shots from the floor – including sinking his only 3-point attempt – while canning three of four free throws on his way to a dozen points and seven rebounds in the half.
Center Ryan Coburn posted a double-double for Springfield (8-4) with 13 points and 11 rebounds while guard Darvis Rankins added 11 points. Guard Billy Harkins dished out a game-high seven assists while adding nine points.
Rutgers-Newark travels to William Paterson on Wednesday for a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader. The men tip off at 6 p.m. with the women to follow at 8 o'clock.
