Galloway, NJ – Stockton University (9-4, 3-3 NJAC) extended its winning streak to five straight games in dramatic fashion, topping Rutgers-Newark (5-7, 1-5) 84-77 in overtime at The Sports Center. The Ospreys erased a five-point deficit in the last 33 seconds of regulation to force OT.
Steve Ferebee (Galloway/Absegami) led five Stockton players in double figures with 17 points plus a team-high eight rebounds.
Kashaun Barnes (Toms River/Manchester Twp.) and
Zavon Johnson (Trenton/West Windsor-Plainsboro South) scored 13 points apiece. Johnson was 4-5 from three-point range.
Jordan Taylor (East Orange/Cicely Tyson) went 4-6 from beyond the arc for 12 points while
Darius Jerkins (Somers Point/Mainland) chipped in with 11 markers. As a team, the Ospreys were 12-26 (46.2%) on three-point attempts.
Stockton trailed by 12 late in the first half before scoring the last 10 points, seven by Ferebee, to get within 34-32 at the break. The Ospreys kept the momentum with a 16-4 run to start the second half, resulting in a 48-38 lead. Taylor sank two three-pointers during the outburst.
Rutgers-Newark slowly battled back to regain the lead and had a 68-63 cushion after two free throws by Dave Lunsford with 41 seconds left. Taylor answered with another trey to make it 68-66. After two turnovers by Rutgers-Newark sandwiched around a Stockton giveaway,
Kevin Allen (Atlantic City/Atlantic City) tipped in a missed layup with 0.8 seconds on the clock to force overtime at 68-68.
The teams went back-and-forth in OT and Stockton was down 77-76 after an Erick Loften-Harris bucket with 1:37 to play.
Kelvin Tull (Millville/Millville) then gave the Ospreys the lead for good with a three-point play for a 79-77 edge. The points were the first three of an 8-0 spurt to end the game. After Tull's big play, Barnes went 5-6 at the line to clinch the 84-77 triumph.
Loften-Harris led all players with 21 points for the Scarlet Raiders. Tyler Ofray notched a double-double of 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Chase Barneys and Mark Thomas finished with 16 and 13 points respectively for Rutgers-Newark.
Stockton will play next at Montclair State on Saturday at 1 pm.
