Highlights

NEWARK, N.J. (December 16, 2017) – Sophomore guard Chase Barneys hit five second-half three-pointers to lift the Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team to an 80-71 come-from-behind win over Drew University Saturday afternoon in The Golden Dome.
 
Barneys went 5-for-5 from deep in the second half and hit six three-pointers overall en route to 22 points on just 13 total shots. He added four rebounds, four assists and three steals in what was an excellent all-around performance for the sophomore.
 
The Scarlet Raiders' (5-6) defense held Drew (6-4) to a season-low 71 points, keeping the Rangers to 36.5 percent shooting. On the other side, Rutgers-Newark shot 50.8 percent from the field, including 61.3 percent in the second half. The Scarlet Raiders hit 10 three-pointers (10-for-19) and were 10-for-15 at the foul line.
 
Senior guard Erick Loften-Harris had nine points, nine assists and five rebounds in his return from injury, and senior center Dave Lunsford finished with 14 points, a team-high nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Junior forward Mark Thomas posted 16 points, four boards, two assists and two rejections, while junior guard Tyler Ofray notched 11 points, three rebounds and two assists. Freshman forward Dante Ralph also gave the Scarlet Raiders solid minutes off the bench, tallying six points and five rebounds.
 
After Drew went up nine with 17:35 on the clock, the Scarlet Raiders began to chip away. Barneys nailed a three to get within five, and a few minutes later, he netted another from distance to make it a 48-46 game with 14:48 left.
 
Ralph tied things at 48 on the next possession, and after going back-and-forth, Thomas found Lunsford underneath for an electrifying dunk and a 58-56 lead (7:34).
 
A three-pointer from Drew's Sky Harris put the Rangers back up one with a shade over six minutes on the clock, but the resilient Scarlet Raiders responded with a eight-straight points punctuated by another Barney's three to go on top 69-62 with 3:16 to play.
 
Drew did not quit, cutting the host lead to two following a three-pointer from Yonathan Napoleon with 1:51 showing, and after a Rutgers-Newark timeout, Barney's made the shot of the night, swishing a deep three-pointer from straight on to give his team a five-point edge (72-67) with 1:25 remaining.
 
The final Barneys three all-but sealed the win for the Scarlet Raiders as Drew would get no closer the rest of the way.
 
In the first half, the Rangers turned a one-point lead into a 10-point advantage thanks to a 9-0 run with 11:06 on the clock.
 
Back-to-back buckets from Ralph put an end to the Ranger run, and six-straight points from Thomas made it a two-point game (30-28) with 2:37 remaining in the first half.
 
The see-saw continued as Drew quickly went back up 10, but a late three-pointer from Loften-Harris made it a 38-31 Ranger lead at the break.
 
After starting the year 2-6, Rutgers-Newark closes the 2017 portion of its schedule on a solid three-game winning streak. The Scarlet Raiders are now 4-2 on their home court, and will look to resume play in 2018 how they ended play in 2017.
 
Notes:
-Rutgers-Newark held a 38-16 edge in points in the paint.
-The Scarlet Raiders assisted on 18-of-30 made baskets and only committed 14 turnovers. The 18 assists are a season-high and the 14 turnovers are one off their season-low (13; 12/6/17 at Ramapo)
-R-N's 50.8 overall shooting percentage and 52.6 three-point field-goal percentage both represent season-bests.
 
Rutgers-Newark returns to the hardwood at New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Stockton University January 3.