Newark, NJ (2/6/08) – Junior guard Chadd Barnes (Newark, NJ/University HS) netted 10 of his 16 team-high points and freshman guard Phil Valdez (Newark, NJ/University) notched nine of his career-high 13 points during a 36-9 second-half surge which carried Rutgers-Newark to a 76-55 New Jersey Athletic Conference win over Montclair State in The Golden Dome. 

The win gave the Scarlet Raiders (12-9, NJAC 5-4) a split of their regular-season series with the Red Hawks (12-9, NJAC 5-4), leaving the squads level in the race for one of three North Division berths for the upcoming NJAC Championship Tournament with just four games remaining. 

Freshman guard Tom Bonard (Westfield, NJ/Westfield), who scored a game-high 17 points to go along with four assists and four rebounds, hit a jumper to give Montclair State a 42-38 lead with 14:56 left just before Rutgers-Newark erupted. 

Joining Barnes and Valdez in the spree were sophomore guard James Johnson (Summit, NJ/Summit), who netted seven of his 14 points, as well as junior forward David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic) and sophomore forward Deshawn Singleton (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) who chipped in five points apiece during the 11-minute run. 

Bonard, who hit four of five shots from beyond the arc in the opening period, drained three treys in the final 3:03 of the opening half as the Red Hawks capped the period with a 13-5 spurt which gave them a 33-32 lead at intermission.  Freshman guard James Williams (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow) muscled inside for nine of his 11 points in the period.  Williams led Montclair State with six rebounds. 

Junior center Afolabi Ajumobi (Roselle, NJ/Roselle Catholic) scored all seven of his points as Rutgers-Newark opened the game with a 10-2 run.  But, the Red Hawks kept the deficit in single digits until the period-ending rally evened things up for the second half.  Ajumobi finished with eight rebounds. 

Cherry finished with nine points, four assists and a game-high 12 rebounds as Rutgers-Newark dominated the glass, 51-38.  Singleton posted a double-double with a dozen points and 10 rebounds while adding three assists.  Held scoreless for the night, sophomore forward Phil Barnes (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) hauled down 10 rebounds, dished off three assists, blocked two shots and made two steals.

 

Carlos Pena (Clifton, NJ / Clifton) and Ryan Washington (Edison, NJ / JP Stevens) each had eight points for MSU, which returns home to Panzer Gymnasium for its final NJAC inter-divisional matchup on Saturday, February 9. Montclair State will face Rowan University at 4:00 pm.