NEWARK, N.J. (February 6, 2019) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team used a late run to pull away from visiting New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Montclair State for a big win in The Golden Dome, 67-58. The Scarlet Raiders improve to 13-10 (6-10 NJAC) while the Red Hawks fall to 14-9 (9-7 NJAC).

Rutgers-Newark was led by another big performance from newly minted 1,000-point scorer Mark Isiofia-Thomas. The senior forward poured in a game-high 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field and an 8-of-10 night at the line. Isiofia-Thomas also added five rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.

Junior Chase Barneys matched Isiofia-Thomas' 50.0% shooting from the field while going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc as he contributed 16 points and three assists. Senior Tyler Ofray and sophomore Quincy Rutherford each had 12 points while Ofray chipped in a team-high four assists and Rutherford was the most efficient scorer, shooting 60.0% from the field.

The Raiders have their last league road trip of the season on Saturday when they visit Rowan for a 5 p.m. contest.

In the first half, R-N jumped out to a 12-4 lead behind a very strong start from Isiofia-Thomas. He started red hot, hitting all four of his shots from inside the arc while Barneys and Ralph each added a bucket.

The Raiders extended that edge slightly and with five points from Ofray that came on a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer had the hosts leading 19-10 at the 9:43 mark.

Still, Montclair State would not go away and rallied all the way back over the next seven minutes. The Red Hawks went on an 11-2 run and had the contest evened up at 21-21.

Newark reclaimed the lead on a lay-in by sophomore Quincy Rutherford before the visitors added a free throw as the Scarlet Raiders went into the break leading by the slimmest of margins, 23-22.

The second half was a wild affair, featuring another seven lead changes and three ties. Most of those swings happened in the first few minutes as the squads battled for an edge.

Trailing 29-28, Barneys began an important run as he drained a trifecta to send R-N in front. That sparked a quick 6-0 spurt that created a gap for the hosts.

The Raiders still held a five-point lead with 6:23 remaining after a Rutherford jumper but the Red Hawks would not go down quietly and battled back with a 7-2 surge that evened the contest at 47-47 at the 4:15 mark.

Not to be deterred, Rutgers-Newark responded on the very next possession with a huge 3-pointer from Ofray that triggered a gigantic 8-0 run that would prove to be insurmountable. Isiofia-Thomas contributed the other five points during that stretch.

MSU managed to pull back within five on a traditional three-point play with 1:28 on the clock, but the next three possessions would seal the game. First, there was a driving score from Rutherford, then a crucial block on the defensive end by Isiofia-Thomas. That rejection set up another Rutherford basket in the paint to send the crowd into a frenzy and put the Scarlet Raiders up 59-50 with just 45 seconds remaining.

Isiofia-Thomas, Ofray, and Barneys would combine to ice the contest at the charity stripe and create the final 67-58 tally.