JERSEY CITY, N.J. (January 17, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team suffered an 80-68 New Jersey Athletic Conference loss at the hands of New Jersey City University Wednesday night at the John J. Moore Athletic Center.
 
The Scarlet Raiders played a sparkling first half, holding a tough Gothic Knights team to 33.3 percent shooting while building a 39-32 lead. However, NJCU would use a 27-8 run to start the second half to take control and get the conference win.
 
Rutgers-Newark falls to 2-8 in the NJAC and 6-10 overall, while the Gothic Knights improve to 7-2 in league play and 13-3 overall.
 
Junior forward Mark Thomas led the Scarlet Raiders with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, adding four rebounds and a steal to his line. Junior guard Tyler Ofray had 16 points, four rebounds and two assists, and freshman center Dante Ralph had 12 points on just seven shots, four rebounds and three blocked shots.
 
After NJCU opened a 5-0 lead early, the Scarlet Raiders pulled in front with a 14-3 rally. Thomas led the Scarlet Raiders with five points in the run, and moments later a Thomas three-point-play made it 17-10 Newark midway through the first.
 
Two foul shots from Lavrone Green trimmed the guests advantage to three points (29-26) with 4:01 remaining in the opening stanza, but Rutgers-Newark outscored the hosts 10-6 to take a seven-point margin into the locker room (39-32).
 
NJCU came out strong in the second, taking the lead for good (42-41) on a James Julius layup with 15:41 on the clock. The Scarlet Raiders battled throughout the half, but NJCU would not relinquish the lead and R-N fell by the 80-68 final.
 
Rutgers-Newark pocketed 28 caroms, 10 assists, six blocked shots and four steals as a team, shooting 48 percent from the field and 18-for-24 at the line.
 
The Gothic Knights totaled 40 rebounds and shot 35.6 percent for the game. They went 32-for-39 at the line and tallied 24 second-chance points. Forward Sam Toney had a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double and Green led four NJCU players in double figures with 16 points.
 
Rutgers-Newark will look to get back into the win column Saturday night at 8 p.m. when it welcomes NJAC rival Montclair State University to The Golden Dome. Fans unable to make it to the Brick City can tune in live at www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com.