NEWARK, N.J. (November 18, 2016) – Despite three players in double figures and a late three-pointer from freshman forward Landon Gaines, the Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team was defeated by Southern Virginia University by a score of 59-56 Friday night in the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic.
 
After the rookie Gaines drilled a three-pointer from the left corner with 36 seconds left to tie the game at 56-all, freshman guard Rashay Douglas hit a game-winning three-pointer with eight seconds remaining to give the Knights their first win of the season.
 
Rutgers-Newark will take on Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Saturday at 1 p.m. in the consolation game of the tournament in The Golden Dome, while Southern Virginia will square off with fifth-ranked Tufts University in the title game. The Jumbos (1-0) topped FDU (0-2) 91-81 in the tournament's first game Friday evening.
 
Rutgers-Newark falls to 0-2 with the loss, while SVU evens its mark at 1-1.
 
Both teams struggled from the field, with the Scarlet Raiders hitting on 36.5 percent (19-for-52) of their attempts and Southern Virginia converting at a 35.8 percent (19-for-53) clip. The Knights went 4-for-14 from distance and 17-for-21 at the line, while Rutgers-Newark went 3-for-9 from three and 15-for-25 at the charity stripe.
 
Sophomore forward Mark Thomas tallied the first double-double of his career with 16 points, 10 rebounds and two steals, while Ofray finished with 17 points, four steals and two assists. Senior forward Nadir Alston had 13 points and seven rebounds, and junior center Kenya Brown had 10 boards.
 
Freshman Tyler McCreadie had 11 points and six rebounds to lead SVU, with sophomore Michael Price, junior Aarun Rumbaugh and junior Cale Thornton all scoring 10.
 
A battle throughout, the game featured 11 ties and 14 lead changes, and neither team led by more than six points at any point.
 
After the Knights took an early lead, Rutgers-Newark fought back to take its first edge at 11-10 following a three-point play from Alston. From that point, the two teams would go back-and-forth with the defenses controlling the action, and Southern Virginia eventually took a 25-22 lead into the break.
 
A layup from Thomas, an Ofray steal and an Ofray fastbreak deuce gave Newark its first lead of the second half (35-34) with 15:45 left, and a smooth Alston jumper from the wing pushed the margin to three at 37-34 moments later.
 
Freshman Tyree Wilson hit 1-of-2 at the line for the Raiders to give Rutgers its largest lead of the night (42-36) with a shade over 11 minutes on the clock, but a 7-0 rally for the Knights made it 43-42 in their favor.
 
A layup and three-pointer from Thomas pushed the Scarlet Raiders back in front (47-43), but SVU responded again, running off six-straight points to take the lead with 4:28 on the clock.
 
Thornton converted underneath after Ofray pulled his team within one to set up Gaines' game-tying triple, but Douglas' three won it for the guests, receiving a kick-out from guard Damen Thacker prior to the clutch make.
 
Fans unable to make it to The Golden Dome Saturday can follow live stats and free live video via links at www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com.