Box Score
GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rutgers-Newark men’s basketball team defeated Rowan University, 73-69 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) game on Saturday night.
The Profs were ahead, 67-51 with 4:52 remaining in the second half. The Scarlet Raiders went on a 13-0 run to come within three (67-64) with 2:14 on the clock. Forward David Azoroh (fr. Ewing, NJ/Ewing) scored four points, guards John Snow (so. Newark, NJ/Montclair Kimberley) and Rahim Bunch (fr. Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.) both hit a three-pointer, guard Al-Don Muhammad (sr. Irvington, NJ/Queen of Peace) had a jumper and guard Christian Garcia (so. Freehold, NJ/Freehold) sank one free throw. Rowan guard Jason Rosenberg (jr. Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) converted two foul shots at the two minute mark to extend the lead to five (69-64). Muhammad had two free throws (1:01) and a three-pointer (:30) to put Rutgers-Newark on top, 71-69. Forward Hussein Abdelmaksoud (sr. West New York, NJ/Memorial) nailed two foul shots (:11) to end the scoring.
Rutgers-Newark improves to 18-6 overall and 12-5 in the conference. Rowan has a 17-7 record with a 10-7 NJAC mark. Snow finished the game with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Muhammad compiled 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Abdelmaksoud had a double-double with 11 points and 13 boards. Azoroh contributed with 12 points off the bench.
For Rowan, guard Fred Battee (sr. Westville, NJ/Deptford) tied his career-high with 21 points. Center Dee Benson (sr. Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) posted 11 points and seven rebounds. Guards Phil Jackson (jr. Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape) and Rich McNamara (jr. Southampton, NJ/Seneca) chipped in with nine points and nine rebounds apiece. Jackson also had four steals. Guard Jason Rosenberg (jr. Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) tallied eight points and seven assists.
Rowan opened the first half with a 20-10 surge over the first 8:30. Battee hit four three-pointers for 12 of the 20 points. Rutgers-Newark answered with an 11-4 spurt to pull within three (22-19) at 7:30. McNamara’s three at 5:58 made the score, 27-21. Snow converted a three-point play (5:00) and Abdelmaksoud sunk a foul shot (4:31) to trail by two (27-25). After a jumper by Benson (3:43), Snow’s three-pointer cut the deficit to one (29-28) at 3:26. Profs’ center Dan Brogan (fr. Northvale, NJ/Northern Valley Old Tappan) had a jumper and a free throw at the four second mark for a four point advantage (36-32). Muhammad’s three-pointer as time expired brought the Scarlet Raiders within one (36-35) at the intermission. Battee totaled 16 points in the first period and Snow had 11.
The Profs opened the second stanza with a 13-2 surge to go up by 12 (49-37) at 13:30. Battee collected five points, Benson followed with four and Rosenberg and Jackson each had two. Snow’s three-pointer at 9:59 brought Rutgers-Newark within 10 (57-47). McNamara made two free throws (9:35) and Rowan was ahead, 59-47. McNamara (7:13), Benson (5:19) and Jackson (4:52) all had a basket to extend the advantage to 16 (67-51).
Rowan travels to NJAC opponent Richard Stockton College for its final regular season game on Wednesday, February 13 at 8 p.m.
