Box Score

New York, NY – Making his Hunter debut, junior Rocco Rubino (Brooklyn, NY/Archbishop Molloy) scored 29 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the line and 4-of-5 from downtown, however it wouldn't be enough as the Hawks fall in their season opener, 87-83 to Rutgers-Newark Tuesday night at the Hunter Sportsplex.

The game opened with a Hunter foul that led to two quick Scarlet Raider points. This would be significant as the Hawks would end up committing 17 fouls in the first half that would result in 21 points from the free-throw line for Rutgers-Newark. However, despite their struggles on defensive, the Hawks were still able to hold a lead for the first eight minutes of the game.

Scarlet Raider forward Phil Barnes (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) helped his team reclaim the lead with a jumper at 12:09. This opened up an 11-0 run as the Hawks went cold from the field. The Hawks cut the lead to one point, before falling behind by eight points at the end of the half.

Rubino was the leader for Hunter at half with 11 points, while Barnes scored eight for Rutgers-Newark.

The Hawks came out strong to start the second half, cutting the lead to one point and at 10:57, junior Maxwell Dubois (Hollywood, FL/Dillard) converted the conventional three-point play to give the Hawks their first lead of the second half. Yet, in what seemed like a replay of the first half, the Hawks couldn't get the big basket they needed and allowed themselves to fall behind by eight points once again.

Rubino would help lead a late surge, cutting the lead to three points twice in the final minute, but Rutgers was able to wrap the game up from the free-throw line and earn the win on opening night.

For the Hawks, Dubois finished with 18 points, shooting 9-of-10 from line, and added nine rebounds along with five blocks. Sophomore forward Mark Wnukowski (Glendale, NY/Archbishop Molloy), one of just two returning members of last year's squad, added ten points and five rebounds, while freshman guard Izzy Hoffman (Woodside, NY/Archbishop Molloy) dished out seven assists, and contributed with six points.

Barnes was the high man for the Scarlet Raiders, scoring a team high 19 points and had a game high 17 rebounds to complete the double-double. Seniors James Johnson (Summit, NJ/Summit) and Deshawn Singleton (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) each had 15 points, followed by senior guard Tim Smith (Mullica Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) who totaled 12 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the line.

For the game, Rutgers-Newark scored 33 points from the free-throw line, compared to just 18 from the Hawks, despite Hunter shooting 85.7 percent.

The Hawks will be back in action this weekend when they travel west to face Montclair State University at 7:00 p.m. as part of the MSU Tip-Off Tournament.