Newark NJ: Rutgers-Newark shot a blistering 65.1% from the floor on its way to a 98-71 New Jersey Athletic Conference win over Ramapo in The Golden Dome.
Senior forward Deshawn Singleton had 14 of his 18 points, senior guard James Johnson netted 13 of his 16 and senior guard Tim Smith notched 10 of his team-high 19 points as the Scarlet Raiders (14-6, NJAC 4-4) raced out to a 55-34 halftime edge. The Raiders also got 13 points from senior forward Ryan Gillens.
The Roadrunners got no closer than 19 points in the second period, and Rutgers-Newark pushed the lead to as many as 31 points late in the contest as head coach Joe Loughran emptied his bench. Loughran also saw his team guarantee him his sixth winning season in the last seven years. The Raiders finished 13-13 in 2007-08.
The win keeps the Raiders in the middle of the battle for one of six NJAC Championship Tournament berths, snapping a 3-game in-conference losing streak. The win moved Rutgers-Newark into sole possession of third place in the conference’s North Division with five game left on the agenda. The top three teams in each division advance to the league playoffs.
Roadrunner senior forward
Isaiah Lynch (Linden, NJ) led all scorers with 21 points. Senior guard
Andre Kenny (Jersey City, NJ) tallied 14 points while sophomore forward
LaQuan Peterkin (Paterson, NJ) added 13 points and a team-high six rebounds for Ramapo (14-5, NJAC 5-3).
The Roadrunners return to action on Saturday when they host NJAC rival the College of New Jersey at 7:00 PM.