Box Score

EWING, NJ – Senior guard Pedro Burgos hit five of seven 3-point jumpers in the second half to rally Rutgers-Newark to a 59-56 win over The College of New Jersey in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game in Packer Hall.

Burgos, who poured in a game-high 22 points, netted 17 after intermission as the Scarlet Raiders (9-5, NJAC 2-1) rebounded from a 10-point deficit against the Lions (6-7, NJAC 1-3).  He knocked down six of nine treys in the game, accounting for all R-N's long range field goals.

Freshman swingman Christian Garcia, who finished with nine points, three rebounds, a steal and an assist, sank a pair of free throws with four seconds left to help stave off a late Lions' rally.

After shooting just 33.3% (8-24) from the floor in the opening half to trail 29-21, the Raiders made 13 of 26 shots in the second period buoyed by Burgos's long-range accuracy.  Junior point guard Al'Don Muhammad and senior guard Greg Moore chipped in eight points and four rebounds apiece while Muhammad dished out a game-high seven assists while blocking a career-high four shots.

Senior swingman Jeremiah Rivers, who scored six points, pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to offset foul trouble which limited junior center Hussein Abdelmaksoud to just 18 minutes on the floor.  Abdelmaksoud grabbed nine rebounds and scored six points before going to the bench with his fifth foul in the closing minutes.

Down 34-24 with 17:48 left, Burgos drained three consecutive treys to make it a 34-33 game just 1:14 later.  There were three ties and five lead changes before the Raiders took the lead for good on a layup by Rivers with 12:26 left.  His basket ignited an 8-0 run capped by a layup by Moore which staked Rutgers-Newark to a 47-40 lead with 11:19 left.

After a Muhammad layup off of a steal by Rivers gave R-N a 57-51 lead with 3:52 left, the Lions staged a last-gasp run which fell just short.  The Raiders did not score from the field for the rest of the game.

Lion sophomore guard Matthew Rista hit a jumper and added a free throw a half minute later to set up in inside bucket by senior guard Kyle Rawson with 1:38 remaining to trim the Raiders' lead to 57-56. 

TCNJ missed a layup with 52 seconds left, but the Lions got the ball back with 19 ticks left after a missed jumper by Muhammad.  After a timeout, Rawson turned the ball over as the Lions tried to set up a final shot.  Garcia was fouled and made both free throws to push the lead back to three.

Rista's last-second 3-point shot missed its mark, allowing R-N to escape with the win.

Rista was the only Lion to reach double digits in points with 10 while junior guard Donovan Smalls tallied nine points.  Rawson and sophomore forward Skyelar Ettin netted seven points apiece for TCNJ.

Rutgers-Newark travels to William Paterson on Wednesday for an NJAC doubleheader.  The men's game is set to tip off at 6 p.m. with the women to follow at 8 o'clock.