NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Despite coming off an upset of the third-ranked Williams College Ephs, the Southern Vermont Mountaineers (1-1) fell to the Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders (1-1) Saturday afternoon 65-55 in the second day of the Williams Tip-off Tournament, played at Mass. College of Liberal Arts.

The teams traded buckets for most of the first half, appearing very evenly matched. Following a Southern Vermont timeout halfway through the period, Mountaineer freshman Rayshawn Taylor (Silver Spring, Md.) hit two three-pointers, but Rutgers-Newark free throws and costly turnovers for Southern Vermont prevented the Mountaineers from continuing their momentum. The teams remained knotted, continuing to trade free throws and layups.

Rutgers-Newark, however, closed the half with a 13-1 run that began with a fast break layup by junior John Snow (Newark, N.J.) with 3:30 remaining in the half. Following a 1-for-2 performance from the charity stripe by Southern Vermont freshman Jordan Alston (Hughesville, Md.), Snow finished again in the paint to extend the Scarlet Raider lead to four with two minutes remaining, 28-24.

Rutgers continued to pull away with a free throw each from sophomore Jordan McDaniel (Colonia, N.J.) and junior Chris Foreman (Union, N.J.), and Snow converted a three-point play to put the Scarlet Raiders up by nine, 33-24. A 1-for-2 showing at the line from McDaniel extended the lead to 10, and it was with that margin that the half expired.

The Mountaineers were called for 14 fouls in the first half, and Rutgers-Newark was able to capitalize, shooting 12-for-17 from the line. Snow led all scorers going into the break with 15 points for the Scarlet Raiders while Southern Vermont was led by sophomore DeShawn Hamlet (Hartford, Conn.) who had nine points.

To open the second half, McDaniel finished in the paint to put Rutgers up by 12, but Southern Vermont freshman Blair Manners (Auckland, New Zealand) snapped the Scarlet Raider streak with a tip-in, bringing the margin back down to 10.

The Mountaineers got back in the game with 10 minutes remaining, pulling to within five behind a Davante Jordan (Great Mills, Md.) three-pointer and a finish in the paint by Hamlet to bring the score to 47-42. However, Southern Vermont was unable to hold the momentum, and Rutgers slowly built its lead back up to double digits over the next several minutes.

Down eight points with two minutes remaining, Southern Vermont was unable to do anything against the Scarlet Raider defense, and the game ended with a final score of 65-55.

Snow led all scorers with 26 points, matching a career-high, while Taylor and Hamlet led Southern Vermont with 16 points apiece.

Neither team shot particularly effectively from the field, with Rutgers-Newark shooting 38.9 percent and Southern Vermont only notching 34.4 percent.

Southern Vermont will travel to Green Mountain College Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip, and the Scarlet Raiders look to their Wednesday matchup at Hunter College, game time set for 7 p.m.