NEWARK, N.J. (November 29, 2015) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's basketball team earned a nice 95-70 triumph over Stevens Institute of Technology Sunday afternoon at The Golden Dome Arena, ending a four-game winning streak for the Ducks and snapping a two-game skid of its own.
The Scarlet Raiders were led by senior guard John Snow who finished with 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, and senior forward Jordan McDaniel who had 24 points (8-for-16), five boards and three assists.
The Scarlet Raiders improve to 3-2 on the season and will next take the court on Wednesday night when they host Montclair State University in a New Jersey Athletic Conference showdown at 8 p.m. in 'The Dome'. Stevens falls to 4-2.
Stevens came out on fire from three-point range, hitting five of its first six attempts from deep to build a 21-8 lead just 7:11 into the action. Despite the rough start, Rutgers-Newark hung tough, made several adjustments and ended up closing the first half on a 37-14 run over the final 12:27. The Scarlet Raiders led 45-35 after one and never looked back as the Ducks could get no closer the rest of the game.
Senior guard Morgan Dixon started things with a pair at the line, and junior forward Olumide Onajide tallied back-to-back baskets to get the Raiders within seven (21-14). McDaniel – who hit four three-pointers in the opening period – drained back-to-back triples sandwiched around a layup from junior guard Evan Klimchak to get R-N within three, and senior guard John Snow pulled Rutgers even at 27 with an old fashioned three-point play – assisted by senior forward David Azoroh.
Snow scored the next four points to make it a personal 7-0 run to give the Scarlet Raiders a lead they would never relinquish, and two McDaniel three-pointers around two Stevens free throws helped Rutgers to a 37-29 margin with 4:51 in the first. The Raiders extended the margin to as many as 12 before heading to the locker room plus-10.
Azoroh (two) and Snow (four) scored the first six tallies in the second half, and after Stevens fought back within 11, R-N started to extend the lead, going up by 19 following a three-point play from sophomore forward Dave Lunsford that came thanks to his own offensive rebound.
Snow's only three-pointer in the game helped the Scarlet Raiders to their largest lead (26) with 8:08 on the clock, and they cruised down the stretch for the win.
Rutgers-Newark shot 50.7 percent (35-for-69) from the floor, 34.8 percent (8-for-23) from distance and 17-for-24 (70.8 percent) at the line. After Stevens' strong start, the Raider defense limited the Ducks to 42.9 percent shooting, eight made three's and just 13 free-throw attempts. The 70 points scored for the Ducks was their lowest total of the season (80 on November 13), and they had scored 92-plus in their last four outings – all wins. The 95 points was the highest for the Scarlet Raiders since last-January 28 against Montclair St. (98 in a 98-71 win in Newark).
Azoroh joined McDaniel and Snow in double figures with 14, also grabbing a team-high eight caroms and tallying a team-high three blocked shots. Sophomore guard Tyler Ofray was solid with three points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Lunsford had nine points off the bench. Senior guard Morgan Dixon was also solid in a reserve role, notching four assists and three rebounds in 18 minutes as Head Coach Joe Loughran received nice contributions from up and down his bench.
Rutgers-Newark had 23 assists and 13 turnovers in the game – both top marks on the young 2015-16 season – also finishing with a 45-31 edge on the glass.
Stevens was led by sophomore guard Chris Cosgrave, senior forward Alex Lorenz and freshman guard Kevin Florio as the trio all scored in double figures. Lorenz grabbed a team-best eight rebounds and Cosgrove dished out a team-high five assists.