Box Score

Newark, NJ  … The College of New Jersey men's basketball team ran into a streaking Rutgers-Newark squad as they dropped a 58-46 decision on the road on Saturday night.
 
The Scarlet Raiders (10-3, 5-2 NJAC) won for the eighth time in nine games as they turned back the Lions (3-8, 1-5 NJAC) in New Jersey Athletic Conference action.
 
Junior Matthew Rista (Point Pleasant, NJ/St. Anthony's) led TCNJ in scoring with 15 points on five-of-seven shooting. Sophomore Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy) finished with 12 points, while freshman Mitch Miller (Ringoes, NJ/Hunterdon Central) grabbed a career-best 10 boards in the contest.
 
RNU's Christian Garcia, who ranks second in the conference scoring, registered a game-high 22 points and four assists. Hussein Abdelomaksoud finished with 11 points and eight boards as the Scarlet Raiders raced to their fourth straight victory.
 
The Lions played stingy defense in the opening half, limiting Rutgers-Newark to just 18 field attempts in 20 minutes. TCNJ hit 12-of-29 shots and turned it over just five times. Sophomore DJ Griffin (Piscataway, NJ/Bishop George) drained a three-pointer with 1:26 left in the half to give the Lions a lead and Johnson capped the period with a jumper, sending the visitors into the intermission with a 28-27 advantage.
 
An 11-2 run in the opening minutes of the second half put the Scarlet Raiders in command. Their defense, which ranks second in the conference in permitting just 59.8 points per game, held the Lions to just 6-of-24 shooting in the period to punctuate their fifth league win.
 
The Lions return to Packer Hall this Monday night when they host FDU-Florham for a non-conference game scheduled for 7 p.m. Their next NJAC contest is Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. when Montclair State University (4-9, 1-4 NJAC) visits campus.