ECAC Tournament Central

R-N Semifinals Recap I Quarterfinals Recap I First Round Highlights

R-N Schedule I Stats

Brandeis Schedule I Stats

FREDERICK, Md. (March 2, 2019) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team has made the most of its Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships appearance so far, earning a berth in the title game tomorrow at 12 p.m. against Brandeis University.

The Scarlet Raiders (16-12) have been impressive in this tournament after earning the no. 2 seed in Pod 4, knocking off some high-powered offenses by rising to the challenge on both ends of the floor.

In the first round, R-N hosted and defeated Stevenson University (no. 3 seed, Pod 4) 77-74 with big games from junior Chase Barneys and senior Mark Isiofia-Thomas. Barneys poured in 23 points and reached the 1,000-point milestone for his career while Isiofia-Thomas added another 20 to guide the Raiders to a hard-fought victory.

Rutgers-Newark found themselves in another battle that came down to the last possession in the quarterfinals against Wilkes University (no. 1 seed, Pod 4), coming away with a gutsy 72-70 victory. This time it was Isiofia-Thomas who took the lead role, scoring 21 points including 11 of the team's final 13. Barneys continued playing at a high level with 18 points, shooting 3-for-6 from downtown.

This afternoon it was senior Tyler Ofray who claimed the mantle, scoring 19 points to propel the Raiders into the championship game with efficient shooting, six rebounds, three steals, and a steady hand at the point. Barneys added 10 points while Isiofia-Thomas had a squad-high seven boards and chipped in with eight points.

Throughout all three contests R-N also got important contributions off the bench from sophomore Quincy Rutherford and freshman Xavier Townes. In the first round it was Townes with nine points, five boards, and an assist while Rutherford made his presence felt with 10 points and seven rebounds in the quarterfinals. During the semis, both Rutherford and Townes produced with eight points each as they continued to make an impact on the Scarlet Raiders run to the title game.

A stingy Rutgers-Newark defense also reemerged during the semifinals, utilizing the team's length and athleticism to great effect as they held a Grove City side that averaged over 70 points per game to just 51 on a dismal 32.6% shooting from the field.

Brandeis (17-11) enters this matchup out of the University Athletic Association (UAA) as the no. 1 seed from Pod 3. The Judges have mostly coasted through the ECAC field thus far, notching a blowout win over John Jay in the first round before defeating Marywood by nine and then Drew by 15 to reach the finals. Brandeis features four players averaging double-digit scoring: Corey Sherman (13.8 ppg), Chandler Jones (12.4 ppg), Eric D'Aguanno (11.6 ppg), and Collin Sawyer (10.5 ppg). Jones is also the team's top rebounder with 6.3 per contest while Lawrence Sabir sports a squad-high 3.9 assists per game.