News Release

Newark, NJ — (December 30, 2006) –Senior guard Philippe Slater (Newark, NJ/University HS), who finished with a team-high 13-points, gave Rutgers-Newark the lead for good with a one-man, 8-0 spree and sophomore guard Chadd Barnes (Newark, NJ/University) made a crucial last-minute steal as the Scarlet Raiders extended their season-opening winning streak with a nail-biting, 67-65, non-conference men’s basketball victory over Hunter in The Golden Dome.

It marked the school-record ninth straight win to start the season for the Scarlet Raiders who have now caught their big brothers in football in Piscataway for the best start of the school year by any team on any of the three campuses – Piscataway, Newark and Camden. The Scarlet Knight football team rolled off nine straight wins on their way to an 11-2 finish culminating in a 37-10 win over Kansas State in the Texas Bowl.

With the Raiders trailing 55-54 with less than four and a half minutes remaining, Slater knocked down a jumper from the right baseline followed by back-to-back 3-point jumpers from the right side to stake Rutgers-Newark to a 62-55 lead with 2:49 remaining.

Barnes, who finished with eight points, made a backcourt steal after the Hawks had collared a defensive rebound with 34 seconds left and Rutgers-Newark holding a 66-65 lead. He was fouled, making one of two free throws.

Junior guard John Joseph Yannaco (Suffern, NY/Suffern), who netted 14 for Hunter, hit a driving layup with 20 seconds left to trim the Raider lead to one before senior guard Quran Wimberley (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony’s) pushed the lead to two with just six seconds remaining.

The Hawks never got off a shot at the end, losing the ball over the endline with 1.2 second left.

Showing the rust of a two-week fall semester examination break, Rutgers-Newark shot just 34.4 per cent from the floor, but Slater went three-for-three from beyond the arc as the Raiders knocked down eight of 22 3-pointers. The Hawks (6-3) hit 36.1 per cent of the field goals, but they were a dismal four for 24 from long range.

Sophomore forward David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic) notched his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds to go along with a team-high five assists and senior forward Jermont Horton (Irvington, NJ/Irvington) tallied 10 points and four rebounds off the bench in his first action of the season. Junior forward Derryck Alexander (Lakewood, NJ/Lakewood) snared nine rebounds to give him 68 in his last six games.

Junior guard Chris Bernard (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) poured in a dozen of his game-high 21 points as Hunter battled to a 33-33 stalemate at the half. Junior guard Chris Garrick (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) registered nine of his 11 points in the second half of a game featuring 10 ties.

The Raiders travel to Manhattanville on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. non-conference before playing in the Catholic University Classic on Saturday and Sunday in Washington, D.C. Hunter hosts Lehman in a CUNYAC women’s and men’s doubleheader on Wednesday with the women tipping off at 5 p.m. and the men to follow at 7 o’clock.