GLASSBORO, N.J. (February 9, 2019) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team dropped a tough 65-59 decision at New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Rowan University this evening. The Scarlet Raiders move to 13-11 (6-11 NJAC) while the Profs are now 18-6 (12-5 NJAC).

Rutgers-Newark was led by sophomore Quincy Rutherford who had 14 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and an assist in his first start of the season. Junior Chase Barneys joined him in double-figures with 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and added eight boards. Senior Tyler Ofray had a team-best nine caroms while chipping in nine points, two assists, and a steal.

The Raiders close their 2018-19 campaign on Wednesday for Senior Night against league opponent Stockton at 8 p.m.

In the first half, the Profs raced out to a 15-2 lead and looked to put the visitors away early.

Trailing 18-5, the Raiders began to rally back. Over the next 11 minutes, R-N embarked on a huge 18-6 run, slicing its deficit down to just one point on a Xavier Townes lay-up with 3:12 to play in the half. Six different players contributed to the rally led by six points from Quincy Rutherford and five by Chase Barneys.

Rowan finally ended the surge with a trifecta before another Townes lay-in made it a 30-26 contest headed into the break.

Rutgers-Newark started the second half strong, going on a 10-3 surge over the first three minutes. Three different players participated in the run as Barneys added four points and Dante Ralph hit back-to-back shots in the paint during that stretch.

From there, the teams traded the lead on five occasions and were deadlocked three times. Rowan rallied with five consecutive points to grab a 38-36 edge before Rutherford knotted the game on a lay-up.

The Profs scored the next five points to earn a 43-38 advantage, but the Raiders came right back with a little 5-0 surge of their own, featuring a traditional three-point play by freshman Jamir Patterson, that evened the contest.  

Unfortunately for R-N, the final tie of the evening would come at 45-45 with 11:36 on the clock after another Rutherford bucket. Rowan went on a quick 6-0 run and would not concede the lead from that point on.

The visitors got within two on a pair of freebies from sophomore Mike Vick and another Vick free throw had them within 57-54 at the 2:04 mark. Still, the Profs went on anther 6-0 spurt to put the game away.