MONTCLAIR, N.J. (December 12, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team suffered a very close loss on the road to New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) foe Montclair State University, 59-55. The Scarlet Raiders move to 5-5 (1-5 NJAC) while the Red Hawks improve to 9-2 (5-1 NJAC).
Rutgers-Newark was led by seniors Mark Isifoia-Thomas and
Tyler Ofray who each netted 17 points. Both players shot an efficient 50.0% from the field and form 3-point range while Ofray was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line and shared team-high honors with three assists. Isiofia-Thomas went 6-of-8 from the charity stripe while pulling down a squad-best five boards and nabbing two steals.
The Raiders return to action this Saturday when they host Drew in The Golden Dome for a non-conference matchup beginning at 2 p.m.
R-N overcame an early deficit as the visitors found themselves down 15-5 less than six minutes into the game.
Junior
Chase Barneys began the rally with a trifecta as the Scarlet Raiders embarked on a 15-2 surge that left them in front 20-17. Ofray featured heavily in the run with six points while Isiofia-Thomas capped the spurt with a shot from beyond the arc that had Newark up with 9:27 on the clock.
Unfortunately, the visitors' largest lead would come on a 3-pointer by freshman
Donovan Ryland with 7:05 remaining as MSU closed the half on a 10-2 run and took a 31-27 advantage into the locker rooms.
The second half featured a see-saw affair with six lead changes and five ties as neither side could pull away. R-N twice gained a slim three-point only to see the Red Hawks claw back.
A pair of free throws by rookie
Xavier Townes and an Ofray lay-in had the Raiders up 47-44 with 6:10 to go in the contest. However, a trey from Myles Mitchell-White knotted the score at 47-47 barely a minute later.
Another three freebies by Rutgers-Newark put the road squad up 50-47 with just 3:46 on the clock.
Unfortunately, Montclair State scored the next seven points and would not trail from there.
Ofray delivered a clutch shot from downtown, drawing the Scarlet Raiders within 54-53 at the 1:49 mark.
Despite a stop on the defensive end, Newark could not convert on the other side of the ball and the hosts eventually iced the game at the charity stripe as they pulled out a tough league win 59-55.
