Box Score NEWARK, N.J. – Senior swingman
Christian Garcia notched a double-double as Rutgers University-Newark shut down Hunter College for a 69-44 win in The Golden Dome Arena.
The Scarlet Raiders (8-1, NJAC 3-0) posted their fifth straight win while allowing a season-low point total to the Hawks (3-6).
Garica tied with junior forward
David Azoroh for scoring honors with 14 points while pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with two assists and two blocked shots. Azoroh and senior center
Elvis Hodzic, who finished with a career-high 10 points and six rebounds, helped the Raider bench total 37 points.
Junior forward
Jordan McDaniel connected on both of his jumpers from long range to finish with 10 points and three rebounds while senior forward
Allen Kuiper battled for six points and six rebounds. Freshman guard
Tyler Ofray came off the bench to distribute a game-high four assists while adding seven rebounds.
Senior guard Lester Anim was the only Hawk in double digits with 11 points while adding a team-high seven rebounds. Senior guard Jerrell Antley added eight points and two assists off the bench for Hunter.
In an opening half that featured four ties and 10 lead changes, the Raiders shut out the Hawks over the final 3:41 to take a 30-24 lead into the intermission. After Antley hit a jumper to give Hunter a 26-24 lead, Garcia knotted the score for the final time with a jump shot with three minutes remaining. Azoroh dropped in four of four free throw attempts in the final 2:22 before beating the buzzer with a layup for a six point lead.
Hunter would never get closer than six points in the second period before the Raiders pulled methodically away to lead 64-39 with 3:26 left. Garcia, Kuiper, Hodzic and senior guard
Chris Foreman each had six points during the long 30-11 run. Foreman, who finished with eight points, gunned in both of his 3-point jumpers during the 12-minute spurt.
Rutgers-Newark dominated the boards, 49-19, to help it pile up 22 second-chance points. The Raiders made 14 of 18 free throws on the night with Kuiper and Azoroh both going four-for-four from the charity stripe.
Garcia climbed into a fifth place tie with Chadd Barnes (2005-08) on the Raider all-time scoring list with 1,249 points. The next target on the ladder is Jeron Rayam (1997-2001) with 1,285 points in fourth place.
Rutgers-Newark visits Kean University on Wednesday for an NJAC doubleheader. The Raider women battle the Cougars at 6 p.m. with the men's game tipping off at 8.
