NEWARK, N.J.— The York College men's basketball team struggled early on and made several runs to get back into the game, only to see Rutgers-Newark University regain a comfortable lead each time as the Scarlet Raiders defeated the Cardinals, 68-56, to open the second half of the 2012-13 season Wednesday evening.

York found itself in an early first-half hole, as Rutgers doubled-up on the Cardinals, taking a 28-14 advantage with 6:34 to go before halftime.  The Cardinals followed with a 13-3 run to cut the deficit to four points (31-27) before the Scarlet Raiders closed the half strong to go up by eight.

In the second half, on two separate occasions, Rutgers-Newark built its lead back up to double-digits and both times York cut the deficit to just two possessions—the latest such time coming with 5:37 to play when a made free throw by York made it 54-50.   But once again, Rutgers fought off the York run and extended its lead back to double digits—ultimately winning by a 12-point margin.

Two numbers stood out on the stat sheet for York that played a big part in the loss.  The Cardinals were just 3-of-17 (17 percent) from long range on the night—it's second worst percentage of the season—and managed just 13 trips to the free throw line, making nine of those.  Conversely, Rutgers-Newark made 29 trips to the charity stripe and converted 24 (82 percent).

York also had a hard time containing Rutgers' Christian Garcia, who finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting and five rebounds.  He also scored eight of those points in the final five minutes of action.  Doze Ikwuegbu finished with 14 points and Al'Don Muhammad had eight points and six assists for the Scarlet Raiders. 

The Cardinals were led by Tony Vails, who finished with 20 points and Du'Quan Lawson, who added ten points and six assists.  Thomas Hart chipped in six points, six boards and two blocks.

York falls to 5-6 on the season, while Rutgers-Newark improves to 9-3.  The Cardinals will return to action Friday when they host John Jay College at 8:00 p.m. Admission to the game is free and live stats of the game are available.