Brooklyn, NY --- The #3 Brooklyn College Men's Basketball team moved past the #6 Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers-Newark, 93-80, in the First Round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro Division III Men's Basketball Tournament earlier tonight at the West Quad Center.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 18-9 overall on the year and advance to the Semifinals Round of the ECAC DIII Metro Men's Basketball Tournament. The Scarlet Raiders finish the season with a 14-13 record.

Following a layup from Rutgers-Newark's Jeremiah Rivers to start the game, BC netted eight straight points to take an 8-2 lead at the 17:20 mark of the first half. Three-pointers from senior Keiran Halton and junior Kavon Baker, along with a layup from senior Amil John paced the run.

Later on in the half, after another Rivers bucket gave the Scarlet Raiders a three-point advantage, 27-24, at the 8:06 mark, Brooklyn turned up the offensive pressure using a 19-5 run to take a 43-32 lead, their largest of the game, with 2:44 remaining in the half. Senior Tyshawn Russell dropped nine of the 19 points in the run. The Bulldogs would eventually take a 48-42 halftime lead.

BC would continue to lead in the second half, as the Bulldogs would never trail in the half. Following a free throw from Rutgers-Newark's Mikal Demby cut the Scarlet Knights' deficit to four, 66-62, at the 11:45 mark of the second period, Brooklyn jumped out on a 10-0 run to take a 14-point lead, 76-62, with just 9:12 remaining in the game. Junior Steven Grant helped spark the run scoring seven of the 10 points.

Brooklyn would cruise the rest of the way en route to its 93-80 victory. The 93 points scored by the Bulldogs are also the most points given up by Rutgers-Newark this season. The previous high was 92 points, when the Scarlet Raiders lost to Ramapo 92-76 back on January 18th.

Russell led all scorers with a game-high 26 points, doing most of his damage from the free throw line, where he went 11-for-13 for the game. John added 25 points and a game-best seven assists, while Grant chipped in with 16 points coming off the bench. Halton was the fourth BC player in double-figures with 12, while Baker finished the night with a game-high nine rebounds and seven points.

The Bulldogs held the slim rebounding edge, 43-40, and also forced the Scarlet Knights into 23 turnovers, which led to 25 points for the home team.

For Rutgers-Newark, Demby led the team with 17 points coming off the bench, while Christian Garcia finished with 16 points, also coming off the bench. Al'Don Muhammad had 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Pedro Burgos contributed with 10 points.

For the game, Brooklyn shot 44.8% (30-67) from the field and 31.3% (5-16) from three. The free throw line was also friendly to the Bulldogs, as BC converted on 82.4% (28-34) from the charity stripe.

The Scarlet Knights shot 41.4% (29-70) from the field and 26.9% (7-26) from beyond the arc. Rutgers-Newark also shot 68.2% (15-22) from the line.

Brooklyn will now play the #2 seeded Ospreys of Richard Stockton College in the ECAC Semifinals, which will be hosted by Richard Stockton on Saturday, March 3rd. Tip-off is scheduled for either 4:00 or 6:00 pm.

The Bulldogs and Ospreys met during the regular season, as Brooklyn bested Richard Stockton, 73-64, back on February 4th at the West Quad Center.

No. 1 Stevens Institute of Technology def. No. 8 Baruch College, 82-72
No. 2 Richard Stockton def. No. 7 Medgar Evers College, 85-73  
No. 3 Brooklyn College def. No. 6 Rutgers University-Newark, 93-80 
No. 4 Mount Saint Mary College def. No. 5 New Jersey City Univ., 73-62

Semifinals – Saturday, March 3 at Richard Stockton
No. 1 Stevens Institute of Technology vs. No. 4 Mount Saint Mary College, 4/6 p.m.
No. 2 Richard Stockton  vs. No. 3 Brooklyn College, 4/6 p.m.

Championship – Sunday, March 4 at Richard Stockton
Two Semifinal Winners, 2 p.m.