MAHWAH, NJ – Rutgers-Newark sophomore center Hussein Abdelmaksoud dominated inside play with career highs of 29 points and 18 rebounds, but Ramapo came away with a key 70-62 New Jersey Athletic Conference win in the Bradley Center.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Abdelmaksoud made 12 of 16 shots from the floor to keep the Scarlet Raiders (16-7, NJAC 6-6) in the fray, but the North Division leading Roadrunners (18-4, NJAC 9-1) scored 21 points on 22 Rutgers-Newark turnovers to spell the difference.

Junior forward Jeremiah Rivers had 11 points and six rebounds for the Raiders who fell in league play for the fourth time in their last six games. The Roadrunners shut down junior guard Pedro Burgos, the second-leading scorer in the NJAC, allowing him just four points to keep him shy of double digits for the first time this season.

Junior guard Greg Moore hit a pair of 3-point jumpers, but Rutgers-Newark converted just four of 19 shots from beyond the arc to negate a solid 14 for 18 night at the free throw line. Junior guard Al'Don Muhammad totaled five assists, four points and three rebounds for the Raiders.

Junior guard Ahmad Hassan paced the Roadrunners with 22 points while junior forward Elgin Brown tallied 13. Junior center LaQuan Peterkin added nine points and team-high 11 rebounds while junior guard Anthony LoRusso dished out five assists.

Abdelmaksoud exploded for 20 points and 13 rebounds in the opening period to stake Rutgers-Newark to a 31-25 lead. But in the second half, Ramapo smothered the Raiders' perimeter game and forced 16 turnovers to negate the sophomore's career night.

Moore hit a 3-point jumper with 17:15 left to give the Raiders a 10-point lead before Hassan had seven points to key a 12-0 rally which gave Ramapo its first lead of the half at 42-40 with 13:12 left.

Burgos's only basket of the night, a trey with 12:38 left, gave Rutgers-Newark its last lead at 45-42 before the Roadrunners mounted an 11-2 run to take the lead for good. A pair of free throws by Muhammad brought the Raiders to within a field goal at 53-51, but Ramapo fended off Rutgers-Newark before pushing their lead to double digits in the final seconds.

Rutgers-Newark hosts Montclair State on Saturday desperately needing a win to maintain any hopes of overtaking New Jersey City (14-8, NJAC 6-4) or the Red Hawks (17-5, NJAC 7-3) in the battle for one of three North Division berths in the upcoming NJAC Championship Tournament. Senior Night begins with the women's game tipping off at 6 p.m. in The Golden Dome with the men to follow at 8 o'clock.

Senior guard Phil Valdez will play in his final regular season home game for the Raiders.