JERSEY CITY, N.J. (December 8, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team rallied from a large first half deficit but fell in a close game at NJCU in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play, 71-65. The Scarlet Raiders fall to 4-4 (1-4 NJAC) while the Gothic Knights improve to 7-3 (3-2 NJAC).
Rutgers-Newark was led by junior
Chase Barneys who poured in 24 points for his fourth 20+ point outing of the season. The veteran guard shot 8-for-16 from the field including hitting five 3-pointers. Seniors
Mark Isiofia-Thomas and
Tyler Ofray each added 12 points to round out the double-digit scorers. Isiofia-Thomas added a team-high eight rebounds while Ofray dished out a squad-best six assists.
The Raiders return to action on Monday as they stay on the road for a non-conference matchup against Centenary scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip.
R-N went on an impressive run in a tough environment on the road in league play. Trailing 40-28 early in the second half, the Scarlet Raiders outscored the hosts 24-10 and earned a slight 52-50 edge with 8:41 remaining. Barneys hit on three straight shots from downtown at one point during the comeback and notched 14 points while capping the surge by hitting a pair from the charity stripe.
There would be three more lead changes the rest of the evening as the Gothic Knights took a 53-52 lead before Isiofia-Thomas responded with a fastbreak lay-in off a feed by sophomore
Mike Vick to swing things back in favor of the visitors.
Still, NJCU scored the next seven points and had a 60-54 advantage with 4:16 on the clock.
A pair of scores by rookie Tyrone Bowers Jr. drew Newark within two at the 2:29 mark. Unfortunately, the Raiders would get no closer.
Another Barneys trifecta had Rutgers-Newark down by one possession with 68 seconds to play but Shaquan Worthy responded with a shot of his own from beyond the arc and the Gothic Knights iced the contest from the free throw line.
In the first half, the teams exchanged the lead four times and were deadlocked on three different occasions in the first 10 or so minutes. After NJCU took an early 4-2 lead, R-N went on a 10-0 run to take an early eight-point advantage. Sophomore
Dante Ralph began the surge with a jumper before Barneys and Ofray knocked down back-to-back triples and Barneys capped the stretch with a lay-in.
Still, the Gothic Knights stormed right back with a 12-2 run of their own to regain a slim 16-14 edge on a James Julias 3-pointer. A lay-up from sophomore
Quincy Rutherford briefly knotted the game at 16-16 but a James Richardson jumper would put the hosts in front for good in the period at the 9:58 mark.
NJCU turned a 23-18 advantage into a 13-point margin with eight consecutive points between 7:57 and 4:49 remaining before the break.
A pair of Isiofia-Thomas freebies and a fadeaway jumper had the Raiders back within eight at 33-25 but the Gothic Knights scored the last five points of the half to take a 38-25 advantage into the locker rooms.