Box Score

NEWARK, NJ – Senior point guard Al'Don Muhammad made the big plays in the final minute and a half as Rutgers-Newark knocked off previously unbeaten Richard Stockton, 54-49, in New Jersey Athletic Conference play in The Golden Dome Arena.

Muhammad, who finished with 13 points and five rebounds, put the Scarlet Raiders (6-2, NJAC 4-1) ahead for good at 50-47 with 1:02 left on a drive into the middle of the lane and a foul shot.  He and sophomore forward Christian Garcia each made one of two free throws in the final 27 seconds to push the lead to five before Stockton sophomore guard Jesse Hunt drove the lane to make it 52-49 with nine seconds remaining. 

When the Raiders failed to get the ensuing inbounds pass in in five seconds, the Ospreys had a golden opportunity to send the game into overtime from beneath their own basket.  But after junior guard Mike Perry was bottled up on the left side of the 3-point arc by a trapping defense, Muhammad ripped the ball out of Perry's grasp and was fouled with a seventh of the second remaining.  He made both free throws to complete the scoring and deny Stockton any chance of a miracle finish.

Garcia finished with a dozen points for the Raiders who won their fourth straight NJAC game after opening the league slate with a loss to Rutgers-Camden.  Richard Stockton (6-1, NJAC 4-1), which had won by nine points or better in each of its first six games, was limited to a season low point total.

Senior center Hussein Abdelmaksoud, who made eight of 10 field goals, totaled game highs of 18 points and nine rebounds for the Raiders while sophomore guard John Snow added six points, four rebounds and two assists.

Senior guard Darnell McCargo paced the Ospreys with 13 points while sophomore guard Josh Blamon added a dozen points including two of Stockton's three 3-pointers.  Stockton made just three of 21 long-range jumpers while making just 34.6% (18-52) of its shots overall.  Junior guard Rameel Johnson collected nine points as well as team highs of seven rebounds and four steals.

In a tightly-contested first half, the Raiders seized a 28-23 lead behind a dozen points from Abdelmaksoud who made five of seven shots from the floor.  With the score tied at 23-23 following a jumper by McCargo, Abdelmaksoud converted a conventional 3-point play with 1:38 left before Snow knocked down a jumper with 12 ticks remaining for the 5-point halftime edge.

The Raiders won despite committing a season-high 27 turnovers because they connected on 47.5% (19-40) of their field goals and made 15 of their 23 free throws.

Rutgers-Newark visits Ramapo on Wednesday night for its final NJAC doubleheader before the semester break.  The women tip off at 5:30 with the men to follow at 7:30 in the Bradley Center.