PORTLAND, Ore. (November 18, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team suffered a tough 70-69 loss Saturday night at Lewis & Clark College, falling by a final score of 70-69.
 
The Scarlet Raiders drop to 1-1 overall and will return to action Tuesday night in The Golden Dome with a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) matchup against New Jersey City University. L&C moves to 1-1 in its young 2017-18 season.

Tuesday will mark the conference opener for NJCU and R-N as the Raiders return from a trip to the West Coast with a pair of tight games under their belt.
 
Junior guard Tyler Ofray led three Scarlet Raiders in double figures, notching a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double. Sophomore guard Chase Barneys finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, and senior guard Erick Loften-Harris notched 12 points and three boards. Senior center Dave Lunsford had a nice game as well, corralling nine rebounds, scoring seven points and blocking three shots.
 
Rutgers-Newark shot 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the floor, 2-for-11 from three and 15-for-20 at the line. The Pioneers had four players in double figures, shooting 39.1 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three and 76.9 percent at the line. Lewis & Clark hit 10 three-pointers in the game.
 
After a thrilling victory Friday night, Rutgers-Newark raced out of the gate strong, scoring seven of the game's first 10 points. The hosts came back to take a 12-9 lead eight minutes in, with a pair at the line from Ofray giving Rutgers a 15-14 edge midway through the first half.
 
The two teams traded blows for the next eight minutes, but Rutgers-Newark turned a 25-23 deficit into a 33-25 lead at the break. Barney's had six points in the 10-0 run and Ofray poured in 13 points to lead the Raiders in the first half.
 
Back-to-back buckets from Loften-Harris helped Rutgers to its largest lead of the night with 16 minutes on the clock, and a bucket from Ofray with 10:46 remaining made it 56-45 Raiders.
 
The lead swelled to 13 points on a Loften-Harris triple, but the Pios began their comeback trimming the lead to two (64-62) with 4:30 left. Lewis & Clark took a one-point margin with 2:30 to go, but Ofray converted on the ensuing possession for R-N to make it a 67-66 game in favor of the guests. Ofray scored again with exactly one minute left, and after two fruitless possessions, L&C trimmed the lead to one (69-68). A steal for the Pioneers, gave them the ball with 16 seconds on the clock, and two free throws from Daelon Floyd proved to be the difference makers with 14 seconds remaining.
 
Rutgers-Newark finished with a 10-7 edge in second-chance points, while the Pioneers outscored Newark 23-13 in points off turnovers. The Scarlet Raiders also notched a plus-10 edge in fast break points (12-2) and a 40-28 margin in points in the paint. R-N also out-rebounded the Pios 44-32.
 
Tuesday night's NJAC opener in The Golden Dome is slated for an 8 p.m. tip. Fans unable to make it can tune in live at www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com/watch.