WAYNE, N.J. — In a hard-fought NJAC men's basketball game at William Paterson University, Rutgers-Newark came up just short, falling 65-63 to the Pioneers in a contest that came down to the last seconds. Both teams traded leads throughout the night, with 23 lead changes and 10 ties before William Paterson ultimately pulled ahead in the final seconds

The teams traded blows in the first half with no squad taking a major lead. Preston Brown ignited a slow start from the offense with 12 first-half points off the bench but William Paterson took a 29-27 lead into the half.

The second half saw even more back-and-forth action, with 14 lead changes throughout the period. The Pioneers held a five-point lead with three minutes left before Ayden Brown went on a 7-0 run by himself to give the Scarlet Raiders a two-point lead. On the next defensive possession, Rutgers-Newark fouled Jianni Moran on a three-point attempt. Moran calmly knocked down all three free throws to put the Pioneers back on top. With 18 seconds left, Rutgers-Newark still had a chance to take back the lead. Raheem Murray missed a jumper, but the rebound went off a Pioneer, giving Rutgers one more shot. They were unable to get a final attempt off and turned the ball over, allowing William Paterson to hold on for the victory.

Preston Brown led the Scarlet Raiders with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Manny Rodriguez added help off the bench with 12 points and 8 rebounds. The duo accounted for 28 of Rutgers-Newark's 34 bench points. 

Rutgers–Newark will return to the Golden Dome on Saturday when it welcomes TCNJ to the Golden Dome as NJAC play continues.

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