GLASSBORO, NJ - Sophomore Connor Dickerson scored 18 points to lead a balanced effort as Rowan defeated Rutgers-Newark, 84-66 in NJAC men's basketball action at Esby Gym. It was the Profs' second straight win, evening their record to 8-8 (4-6 NJAC).
 
Jerry Price and Ryan O'Leary (5-of-8 FG) added 14 points apiece for Rowan, while Maliq Sanders added 12, all from the foul line. Matt Green scored 11 on 4-for-8 shooting while Austin Kearney had 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
 
Chase Barneys of Rutgers-Newark (10-6; 6-3) scored 30 points in a losing cause, as he made 8-for-13 from the field and 11-for-13 from the foul line.
 
Rowan led from the opening tip and was in control most of the game. The Profs fought off an early-second half surge by Rutgers after the Scarlet Raptors came within, 47-46, by going on an 11-2 spurt, ending in a three by Dickerson at 12:40 to regain a 10-point lead, 58-48.
 
A three by Barneys cut the Rowan lead to 58-53, but the Profs answered with a three-pointer by Green to spark a 9-0 run that gave the home team a 67-53 lead with 7:00 to play.
 
Rowan then closed it out the rest of the way with the final score being the largest margin of the game.
 
The Profs converted 47.8 percent from the field in the second half (11-of-23) while holding Rutgers-Newark to 10-of-32 from the field and just 2-of-10 from three-point range.
 
In the first half, Rowan built up a 10-point margin, 26-16, with under eight minutes to go. The Profs led by as much as 11, 29-18, but the Scarlet Raptors used a 7-1 run to pull within 29-25, with 4:48 to go. Barneys then scored 10 points in a two-minute span to close Rutgers' deficit to 37-34. Sanders answered for Rowan by making 5-of-5 free throws in the final 1:40 to give the Profs a 44-37 halftime lead.
 
Rutgers-Newark connected on 54.5 percent from the field in the first half while both squads made over 80 percent from the foul line, Rowan going 14-for-17 and Rutgers making 10-of-12.
 
The Profs will play the next two games on the road, visiting Rutgers-Camden on Wednesday, January 22 and then New Jersey City on Saturday, January 25.