NEWARK, N.J. – Neumann University men's basketball team were grounded by Rutgers Newark University in a loss Saturday afternoon, 84-62, in The Golden Dome Arena.

The first half belonged to the Raiders, taking a 26-41 lead into halftime. The weather wasn't the only thing cold In Newark, as the Knights shooting didn't appear to be at room temperature. The Knights shot 31%, 10-32 on two point field goals, made plenty of trips to the charity stripe going 6-11 and missed all 3 point attempts 0-6.

Freshman guard, Branden Harrington had two field goals to fuel an 11-2 Knight run which whittled the Raider lead to 59-50 with 8:44 remaining. Harrington finished with 13 points for Neumann. As a reserve playing 19 minutes, Harrington added a spark grabbing three rebounds, one steal and scoring the only three pointer for the Knights.

Sophomore Mark Blount, the most consistent Knight this season couldn't earn a double-double, which is atypical for him. But Blount made the Raiders see double with his six blocks and 12 rebounds.

Sophomore Rich Whitten took advantage of getting the nod to start. Whitten scored 13 points (Shooting 5-10) and eight rebounds. Patrick O'Connor scored 15 points.

 The Knights continue to find their form on the road. The win against Kean 61-51 represents the only road win. The game is made up of momentum swings, rhythmic systematic plays to be executed and defensive cohesiveness. This is where the Knights haven't found their swagger, yet.

The Knights managed to stage a comeback in the second half, but by the time they brought it to within nine points 50-59 they had exhausted all their resources to sustain their momentum. ”I am very excited about our team, our comeback shows great character, we just need to figure out how to manage the game better”, said Coach Stanziano. “Because we are somewhat of a younger team, I'd like for us to stay in the moment and grind out every possession”.

“The seniors and upper classmen can partake in bringing the young guns up to speed and carry the burden for the moment. “The moment is all that is needed for the seniors to mentor and guide the team, because we have young players that step up every game. Collectively, we need to all step up, especially on the road”, added Coach Stanziano.  

The Rutgers-Newark game was the first of five road games as the Knights 5-5 will travel to Rowan University December 20th for a 7 pm tipoff.