NEWARK, N.J. (January 28, 2019) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team took a thrilling, last-second victory over visiting New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) foe TCNJ tonight in The Golden Dome, 63-62. The Scarlet Raiders improve to 11-9 (4-9 NJAC) while the Lions fall to 11-9 (7-6 NJAC).

Rutgers-Newark was led by junior Chase Barneys who scored 15 points. Senior Mark Isiofia-Thomas added 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Sophomore Quincy Rutherford rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 points off the bench. Senior Tyler Ofray had a tough shooting night but led the squad with eight boards, five assists, and three steals in addition to eight points.

The Raiders continue their NJAC slate with a road matchup against William Paterson on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

This game came down to the final possession but began with a huge R-N rally late in the second half.

Trailing 51-42 with 8:58 on the clock, Ofray began the surge with a driving lay-in. A Rutherford offensive board and put back cut the deficit to five before rookie BJ Honis swished a trey from the left corner to make it a two-point contest. Another Rutherford bucket tied the game at the 6:37 mark, forcing a timeout from the visitors.

Still, that break in the action would not be enough to stop the run as Barneys and Rutherford each drained a pair of free throws to create a 55-51 advantage and cap a huge 13-0 surge.

The hosts maintained that four-point edge with 1:33 to play but the Lions would not back down.

A 3-pointer by Niall Carpenter cut his side's deficit to one. Then, after a defensive stop, relentless offensive rebounding got TCNJ back in front. With 17 seconds remaining, a missed jumper created havoc in the paint as multiple players fought for the crucial rebound. In the end, Randy Walko corralled the ball and put it in the hoop to give the visitors a 62-61 lead with 7.8 seconds to go.

Rutgers-Newark was not done, however, as Ofray took control coming out of a timeout. The senior guard caught the inbounds pass in stride and drove hard into the lane, drawing contact and earning free throws with 2.5 seconds on the clock. Ofray rose to the moment, swishing both shots from the line to send the Scarlet Raiders ahead by the slimmest of margins, 63-62.

With one final opportunity, the Lions could not even get a shot off as their ballhandler dribbled off his foot, under severe pressure from Barneys, to end the game.

In the first half, TCNJ stormed out to a 12-2 lead and still held a nine-point edge with 10:30 remaining in the period.

R-N rallied right back, scoring the next nine points over two and a half minutes to even the game at 18-18. Isiofia-Thomas began the run with a lay-up while Barneys added a bucket in the paint before Isiofia-Thomas drilled a shot from beyond the arc. Sophomore Quincy Rutherford capped the surge with a lay-in off a Mike Vick feed that tied the contest.

The momentum continued to swing as the Lions regained a 25-18 edge, but the Scarlet Raiders fought back with a three-point play by Vick and lay-in from Rutherford that had the hosts back within two.

TCNJ responded with 10 straight points to gain a 35-23 advantage at the 1:45 mark. However, an Isiofia-Thomas trifecta and Barneys jumper sliced that deficit down to a more manageable seven points headed into the break.