Newark, NJ | The men's basketball team comes out of this heavyweight slugfest with their hands held high. It came down to the very end as the Scarlet Raiders pulled out the victory after leading wire-to-wire, 61-57, and will advance to the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) semifinals where they will take on top-seeded The College of New Jersey on Wednesday at 7:00 pm in Ewing, NJ.
The win for the Scarlet Raiders marks the first time in program history that they've defeated New Jersey City University three times in the same season. Tonight's win also broke the Scarlet Raiders' three-game losing skid they carried into the NJAC Tournament.
Rutgers-Newark (14-11, 10-8) was led by senior Chase Barneys as the Scarlet Raiders put on a show Saturday night going punch for punch until the final bell sounded. Barneys led all scorers with 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting connecting on 9-of-11 free throws. Quincy Rutherford added 15 on 4-for-8 shooting from the floor with three of his buckets coming from behind the arc. Jamir Patterson was the leader on the boards for the Scarlet Raiders, tallying seven rebounds. Dante Ralph contributed with a team-high two blocks and shot 3-of-4 from the field, finishing with eight points.
New Jersey City University (13-12. 10-8) looked to continue their road winning ways as they came into this matchup with a 7-4 road record compared to a 5-7 home record. They were put to the test at every level and ultimately could not get the job done. Denzel Banks led the way for the Gothic Knights with 19 points before fouling out late in the second half.
The first half went the Scarlet Raiders way as they were able to take a 28-20 lead into the break and led in every statistical category. As a team, they shot an impressive 50% from the field with 19 rebounds and five assists compared to the Gothic Knights shooting 24% with 16 rebounds and two assists.
Rutherford seemingly could not miss early on shooting a perfect 3-for-3 in the first half for all of his nine points. He finished the game with 15 while adding four rebounds.
The game took a turn in the second half after the Scarlet Raiders found themselves in some trouble after committing 14 personal fouls. The fouls plus the 17 turnovers, in which NJCU scored 22 points off of, created a tit for tat battle.
Tarique Holmes was all over the floor in early the second half as he connected on a three-pointer, and swiped two passes. He led the Gothic Knights with three steals and three assists.
Barneys put the game on his shoulders as the clock dwindled down and found space in the paint to convert the layup. Banks would fly down the floor in an attempt to tie the game, however, his shot would not fall. Both teams scrambled for the loose ball off the miss and it was ultimately Jamir Paterson who came away with possession. He was fouled and connected on both free throws to close out the game. The Scarlet Raiders were able to hold off the Gothic Knights for a fitting ending.
On Wednesday, February 26, the men will head south and look to knock off the Lions for the first time this season.
