NEWARK, N.J. (December 31, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team pulled away from visiting College of Mount Saint Vincent in the second half to win its 2018 finale, 65-48 in The Golden Dome. The Scarlet Raiders improve to 7-5 while the Dolphins fall to 4-6.

Rutgers-Newark was led by senior Mark Isiofia-Thomas who scored a game-high 17 points on an efficient 5-for-10 shooting from the field as well as a 7-for-8 afternoon at the charity stripe. The veteran forward also added a team-best nine rebounds while sharing squad-best honors with four assists and two steals. Junior Chase Barneys joined him in double-digit scoring with 13 points including two 3-pointers and senior Tyler Ofray contributed 12 points by hitting on 3-of-5 from the field and all six of his free throw attempts.

The Raiders return to New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play on Saturday when they host Rutgers-Camden for an 8 p.m. tip.

Both teams started off slow offensively but heated up significantly in a competitive first half that featured nine lead changes and five ties. The last lead change came with 6:04 remaining in the period, as Barneys drained a 3-pointer to erase a slim 19-18 deficit and put the Raiders in front 21-19.

That trifecta sparked a 9-0 surge from R-N that gave the squad its largest advantage of the half at 27-19. Barneys added a pair of free throws while sophomore Mike Vick finished a fastbreak lay-in and Ofray added a bucket in the paint of his own.

The Dolphins responded with the next two scores, halving their deficit to four points.

Still, the Scarlet Raiders closed the half on a 6-2 spurt capped by an Ofray jumper at the buzzer to head into the locker rooms leading 33-26.

In the second half, Newark attempted to pull away but it took a few tries before the hosts gained control.

First, the Raiders took a 39-30 lead only to have the Dolphins respond immediately with a trifecta.

Next, R-N gained a 43-34 advantage but MSV rallied back, scoring six straight points over a two minute period to cut its deficit down to just one possession with 9:43 remaining.

Up 45-41 with the visitors hanging around, the Scarlet Raiders finally managed to pull away. Sophomore Quincy Rutherford began the surge by corralling an offensive rebound and then knocking down a mid-range jumper.

Barneys restored the nine-point cushion with a traditional three-point play before Rutherford drained a corner trey off a feed from Vick to make it a double-figure lead with 6:36 on the clock.

After a free throw from the Dolphins, Isiofia-Thomas converted an and-one opportunity and then punctuated the game-defining 13-1 run with a steal and thunderous slam on the fastbreak that had the crowd on its feet and the hosts leading 58-42.

That advantage would stretch to as many as 21 points before MSV closed the contest with two baskets to account for the final 65-48 score.