MAHWAH, NJ – Senior forward
Deshawn Singleton’s 3-point play in the final minute helped Rutgers-Newark hold off Ramapo, 65-59, in the regular-season ending New Jersey Athletic Conference game in The Bradley Center.
Rutgers-Newark 65, Ramapo 59
Singleton, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, grabbed an offensive rebound, muscled a follow shot into the basket and added a free throw to give the Scarlet Raiders (19-7, NJAC 9-4) a 61-57 lead with just 48.4 seconds remaining.
The Raiders posted their 19th win to eclipse a string of 18-victory seasons (2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08) in the 9-year tenure of head coach Joe Loughran as the winningest season in Rutgers-Newark men's basketball history.
Senior guard
James Johnson, who finished with 11 points, hit two free throws with 16 seconds to go to boost the lead to 63-57 before a layup by Ramapo senior guard Andre Kenny.
Freshman guard
Al-Don Muhammad knocked down a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to give Rutgers-Newark – winners of its last six conference games – the final points and spoil the Roadrunners’ Senior Night.
Each team begins NJAC Championship Tournament play on Saturday with the Raiders hosting Kean in the Golden Dome at 7 p.m. and Ramapo visiting Rowan at 4 o’clock.
Sophomore guard
Greg Moore sparked the Raiders to a 32-31 halftime lead by coming off the bench to connect on all four of his 3-point attempts. He finished with a team-high 16 points, hitting five of seven shots from beyond the arc.
Singleton grabbed seven rebounds and senior forward
Phil Barnes worked inside for a team-high eight rebounds and seven points. Senior point guard
Tim Smith added eight points, six rebounds and a game-high three steals as the Raiders completed a regular-season sweep of the Roadrunners.
In a physical game, it was the Raider defense which spelled the difference. Ramapo made just 32.7% of its field goal tries and committed 21 turnovers to lose despite holding a 46-36 edge in rebounding.
Kenny led all scorers with 23 points and added nine rebounds for the Roadrunners while sophomore forward Davian Plunkett notched a double-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.