NEWARK, NJ – Senior guard
James Johnson poured in a career-high 29 points to fuel Rutgers-Newark’s 57-39 win over New Jersey City which clinched a New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament berth for the Scarlet Raiders.
Rutgers-Newark 57, New Jersey City 39
Johnson had 17 points in the second half as the Scarlet Raiders (17-6, NJAC 7-4) pulled away from the Gothic Knights (11-10, NJAC 4-6) to lock up their fifth NJAC playoff berth in the last six seasons under ninth-year head coach
Joe Loughran. The win also provided the Raiders with their first regular-season sweep of New Jersey City in program history.
Johnson was the only double-digit scorer in the contest, but he got plenty of help from senior forward
Phil Barnes who chipped in eight rebounds and seven points. Sophomore guard
Greg Moore came off the bench to contribute five points, six rebounds and three assists. Reserve sophomore forward
Ralph Jones snared eight rebounds while freshman guard
Al-Don Muhammad tallied six points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
High-scoring senior forward
Deshawn Singleton was limited to no field goals and just four points by a swarming, physical Gothic Knight defense. He did add four rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.
Freshman forward Isaiah Johnson hauled down a game-high nine rebounds and netted seven points for NJCU while freshman forward Walik Albright tallied eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Johnson, who had a dozen points at the half, netted seven during an 18-3 spurt which staked the Raiders to an 18-5 with 8:03 left in the period. The Gothic Knights chipped the lead down to six points before a pair of Moore free throws sent Rutgers-Newark into the break with a 26-18 lead.
After a dunk by Taquan Abdullah trimmed the lead back to six points during the opening minute of the second half, the Raiders shut down the New Jersey City attack to take a commanding lead. The Gothic Knights made just five free throws and no field goals during the next 12 minutes as Johnson fueled an 18-5 rally with seven points. A pair of Johnson free throws made it 44-25 with 7:52 left.
A Johnson 3-point jumper pushed the lead to 49-27 with 6:16 remaining and New Jersey City never got closer than 17 points the rest of the way.
Rutgers-Newark won its fourth straight NJAC game to earn post-season rights. After losing three straight in the league to fall to 3-4, the Raiders have now reeled off wins over Ramapo, Richard Stockton, Montclair State and New Jersey City.
Rutgers-Newark hosts league-leading William Paterson (21-1, NJAC 1-0) on Wednesday in a Senior Night doubleheader. Phil Barnes, Ryan Gillens, James Johnson, De'Vion Manning, Deshawn Singleton and Tim Smith will be honored during pre-game ceremonies. The women tip off at 6 p.m. with the men to follow at 8 o'clock.