Game Program
NEWARK, N.J. (November 23, 2015) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team suffered a 69-62 loss at the hands of New Jersey City University in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opener for both schools Tuesday night in The Golden Dome Arena.
With the loss, the Scarlet Raiders fall to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference. NJCU improves to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the NJAC.
After taking a 10-point lead into the break, the Scarlet Raiders extended to 12 (38-26) following a jumper from senior forward
David Azoroh, but the Gothic Knights were able to fight back within five after a fastbreak bucket from freshman forward Tyler Caldwell.
Senior forward
Jordan McDaniel slowed the building NJCU momentum with a three-pointer to push the edge back to eight, but the Knights responded to get within one point (41-40) on the back of a Caldwell three with 14:15 to play.
Senior guard
John Snow and the Scarlet Raiders answered with a 6-1 spurt to go back up six with 12:42 showing, and Rutgers-Newark was able to stay in front by at least three points for the next seven-plus minutes.
With R-N holding a 56-50 lead, NJCU fought within one, but a pair at the line from sophomore guard
Tyler Ofray gave the hosts some breathing room.
NJCU junior Ata Robinson hit a three to tie it at 60 with 3:11 left, and a second-chance basket helped NJCU to its first lead since 12-11 at 62-60 at the 2:23 mark as the Scarlet Raiders could get no closer than three the rest of the way. The Gothic Knights ended the game on a 12-2 run.
The Scarlet Raiders came out of the gate strong, opening up an early 9-5 lead, with the Gothic Knights going on top 12-11 5:58 into the action. Ofray notched an old fashioned three-point play thanks to an assist from freshman forward
Mark Thomas to put R-N back on top. Ofray-from-Thomas sparked an 8-0 rally for the Raiders as the hosts opened a seven-point lead (19-12) with 11:38 on the clock.
After falling behind by one (12-11), the Rutgers-Newark defense seemed to tighten up, holding NJCU to just 12 points over the final 14:02 of the opening half while scoring 23 of their own to take a 10-point lead into the locker room. Rutgers led by as many as 14 in the period following four-straight free throws from Azoroh who led the way with 12 first-half points. Snow had six points and six boards over the first 20 minutes, while Ofray went for six and five – points and rebounds.
Azoroh led R-N with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, eight rebounds and three blocks, while Snow tallied a 16-point 10-rebound double-double. Ofray had eight points, five rebounds and three assists.
R-N struggled taking care of the ball, committing 25 turnovers in the game as the two teams combined for a total of 53 fouls. The Scarlet Raiders dished out 13 assists and held a 35-33 edge on the glass, scoring 14 second-chance points and 40 points in the paint. The Raiders shot 21-for-45 (46.7 percent) from the field, 1-for-9 from deep and 19-for-23 (82.6 percent) at the line.
NJCU shot 21-for-59 (35.6 percent) from the field, 4-for-19 from deep and 23-for-29 (79.3 percent) at the stripe. The Gothic Knights were led by Robinson who finished with 21 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals. Senior forward Chinwe Wosu and Caldwell were both in double figures as well.
The Scarlet Raiders return to the hardwood with a non-conference showdown in The Golden Dome Arena Sunday at 2 p.m. against in-state rival Stevens Institute of Technology. Fans unable to make the trip can tune in live at www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com/watch.
