NEWARK, NJ | A turnover riddled game saw the Scarlet Raiders fall on the losing side of the score margin, 55-46, to Montclair University at The Golden Dome Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.
Rutgers University-Newark (2-2, 2-2 NJAC) was led by Mike Vick who scored a team-high 14 points and four rebounds. Dante Ralph scored 11 points in the game which all came in the first half while Abe Kromah found his stride in the second half and ended with 10 points.
Montclair State University (5-1, 5-1 NJAC) received a 23-point outburst from Devin Cooper in the win over the Scarlet Raiders. Cooper made his living at the charity stripe, going 13-for-14. Irving Callender IV aided the Red Hawks with 14 rebounds which helped his squad edge the Scarlet Raiders 32-24 in the rebound column.
In a defensive showdown, the intensity didn't wane from the previous night as both teams swarmed each other early which was evident by the low scoring output. It was the Scarlet Raiders who were able to crack the code to this defensive contest as it took four minutes for either team to record the first points of the game. Dante Ralph pierced the interior of the Red Hawks' defense and placed one off of the backboard to give the Scarlet Raiders a 2-0 lead.
Montclair, on the other hand, struggled to find their offense early in the first half. The Red Hawks didn't find the bottom of the net until the 12:34 mark where Myles Mitchell-White hit a mid-range jumper to put his squad down 6-2. The Scarlet Raiders saw their largest lead of the half when Ralph once again forced his way into the paint for a layup, giving the Scarlet Raiders an 11-point lead. Ralph and Vick teamed up to score 22 of the Scarlet Raiders' 26 points in the first half as they were in the zone, shooting 8-for-15 (57%) combined between the two of them.
With 6:32 remaining in the half it looked as though the Scarlet Raiders were going to run away with the game as they held a 20-9 lead. However, Montclair ripped off a 12-4 run in the final four minutes, similar to their 7-0 run from last night, to cut the lead down to three, 26-23 going into the locker room.
That run carried into the second half as the momentum was fully on Montclair's side. The second stanza flip-flopped for a majority of the half until the 11:21 mark. The Red Hawks' offense sprung into action and went on a 16-5 run which culminated into a 49-38 lead.
The Scarlet Raiders found their backs against the wall and picked up their pace of play, however, they were only able to cut the lead back down to seven as the Red Hawks kept them at bay and go on to win their second straight against the Scarlet Raiders.
The men return to action next Friday, February 26 where they will host Stockton University at 7:00 p.m. at The Golden Dome Athletic Center for their final series of the regular season.
Be sure to stay up-to-date with the Scarlet Raiders on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @ScarletRaiders. To watch all of our home games, subscribe to our YouTube channel, RaiderVision (www.youtube.com/raidervision), so you never miss any of the action!
