NEWARK, N.J. (November 19, 2016) – Junior guard Tyler Ofray scored 28 points on 23 shots, but the Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team suffered a 70-68 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Saturday afternoon in the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic in The Golden Dome.
 
FDU improves to 1-2 overall, while the Scarlet Raiders drop to 0-3 on the young season. Despite the tough start, Rutgers-Newark has been in every game until the final seconds, falling by three points twice and two points once.
 
Ofray led the Scarlet Raiders with 28 points on 11-for-23 shooting, adding four rebounds, three steals and two assists to his line. Sophomore Mark Thomas had 11 points, two rebounds and two steals, and freshman Landon Gaines had 11 points and four rebounds. Senior Nadir Alston finished with six points, 12 boards and three blocked shots.
 
Four Devils were in double figures, led by the 19 points, five rebounds and two steals from Donte Ali. Guard Derek Leohner added 16 points, four rebounds and three steals for the Devils who shot 56.3 percent (27-for-48) from the field, 43.8 percent (7-for-17) from three and 9-for-18 at the line. The Scarlet Raiders shot 35.9 percent from the field (23-for-64), 3-for-17 from long distance and 19-for-20 (95 percent) at the free-throw line.
 
FDU took a 15-point lead early in the second half, but Rutgers-Newark battled back to turn a 50-37 deficit into a 57-56 lead with 9:11 remaining thanks to a 20-6 run. Ofray scored 12 points in the run with Gaines and Thomas canning triples for the hosts.
 
A three-point play from Ofray with 6:20 left gave Newark a 62-59 lead, but the Devils responded, scoring back-to-back buckets to pull back in front (65-64) with 4:16 showing on the clock.
 
The FDU lead would move to five points (69-64) with 57 ticks to play, but two free throws from Alston and a Thomas deuce pulled R-N back within a point with 34 seconds left. Ali would hit 1-of-2 at the line to set up the final Scarlet Raider chances, but the hosts could not get their final two shots to fall and suffered the close loss.
 
The first half went back-and-forth over the early stages, but FDU took the upper hand later, leading by as many as eight points and taking a 38-31 lead into the half.
 
A young group of Scarlet Raiders showed some toughness Saturday, overcoming a 15-point deficit with 16:46 left in the second half to give themselves a chance to win.
 
Rutgers-Newark will return to the hardwood Tuesday night against New Jersey City University in the New Jersey Athletic Conference opener for both schools. The Scarlet Raiders will be looking to avenge a pair of tight losses to the Gothic Knights during the 2015-16 season. 

Fifth-ranked Tufts University won the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic with a victory over Southern Virignia University Saturday evening. The Jumbos topped FDU on Friday night and SVU for the title and guard Tarik Smith was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.