NEWBERG, Ore. (November 18, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team completed a thrilling second half rally to defeat host George Fox University in its season-opener, 83-80. The Scarlet Raiders earn their first win of 2017-18 to move to 1-0 while the Bruins are now 0-1.

Rutgers-Newark raced out to a commanding 9-0 lead behind seven quick points from senior Erick Loften-Harris. Still, George Fox fought back and claimed a 15-12 edge. The home team led by as many as eight in the first half but the Scarlet Raiders remained within striking distance and a strong drive down the right side of the lane and tough finish by sophomore Tyree Wilson had the visitors trailing by only five at the break, 37-32.

In the second half, the Bruins appeared to begin pulling away as they took a double-digit advantage for the first time in the game, leading 52-42 at the 14:24 mark. The Scarlet Raiders would not be put away, however, as they embarked on a captivating 18-2 surge.

Rutgers-Newark capped its furious run when excellent ball movement found sophomore Chase Barneys who drained a long 3-pointer to give his team its first lead since the clock read 14:11 in the opening stanza. A pump fake and jumper by senior Emmanuel Kema extended that advantage before Kema drained a pair of free throws to make it 60-54.

Another deep trey by Barneys with a little over seven minutes to go saw the Scarlet Raiders extend their lead to eight and a pair of Loften-Harris freebies pushed that advantage to double-figures with 7:08 remaining.

In the final minute of regulation, the visitors struggled to keep their distance as George Fox attempted to mount a comeback. The home squad got within one point on a tip-in but Loften-Harris delivered two more points from the charity stripe to seal an 83-80 victory.

The Scarlet Raiders were led by Loften-Harris who poured in 27 points on just 13 shots, going 14-of-19 from the line. Barneys poured in another 25, draining 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and hitting 6-of-7 from the charity stripe while pulling down a team-best nine rebounds. Kema added 14 points, six boards, and shared team-high honors with three assists while Wilson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points and seven caroms.

Rutgers-Newark continues its West Coast trip tomorrow evening with a contest against Lewis & Clark College tipping off at 5 p.m. PST (8 p.m. EST).