College Basketball: Slow Start Sinks Rutgers-Camden women

NEWARK, N.J (Feb. 8, 2020) – The Rutgers University-Newark women’s basketball team scored the first 12 points of the game and went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 51-45, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday night.

Rutgers-Newark’s Scarlet Raiders improve to 4-18 overall and 2-13 in the conference, earning a split in their season series against Rutgers-Camden. The visiting Scarlet Raptors fall to 11-11 overall and 4-11 in the NJAC.

Newark leads the all-time series, 40-31.

The Scarlet Raiders took an early 12-0 lead while holding the Raptors to 0-for-12 shooting from the floor and five turnovers over that span. Freshman

Jalissa Pitts

finally broke the scoring ice for Rutgers-Camden when she hit a jumper with 2:32 remaining in the first quarter. By the end of the frame, Newark held a 17-5 lead.

Rutgers-Camden flipped the switch in the second quarter, scoring the first nine points of the frame to cut the gap to 17-14. That run included three points apiece by freshman guard

Taylor Martin,

freshman center

Kayla Newton

and junior guard

Shane Holmes.

By halftime, the Scarlet Raiders led, 22-16, led by six points apiece from senior center Comfort Akinbo and sophomore guard Elisha India Cross. Martin scored six points in the first half to pace the Scarlet Raptors.

The Scarlet Raptors cut their deficit to 22-21 early in the third quarter on a jumper by senior guard

Fatimah Williams,

but never came closer than three points the rest of the way.

Sophomore guard Syncere Lambert paced Rutgers-Newark with 12 points, while senior guard/forward Hannah Ashby had a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds. Akinbo added 11 points, while Cross finished with 10 points and a game-high four steals.

Holmes led all scorers with 18 points for Rutgers-Camden, while adding three steals, three assists and a career-high eight rebounds. Pitts scored eight points and had a game- and career-high 14 rebounds, while adding three assists. Martin canned nine points.

Rutgers-Camden shot only 15-for-62 (24.2 percent) from the floor, while Rutgers-Newark was only slightly better at 13-for-48 (27.1). The Scarlet Raiders held a 46-42 edge off the boards and were 20-for-28 (71.4) from the line, while the Raptors were 6-for-16 (37.5) from the charity stripe.

Rutgers-Camden returns to NJAC action on Wednesday with a 5:30 p.m. game at Ramapo College.

Big 2nd Half Sparks Newark past Camden Men

NEWARK, N.J. (Feb. 8, 2020) – The Rutgers University-Newark men’s basketball team overcame a seven-point halftime deficit with a 45-16 second-half run and went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 70-48, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday night.

Rutgers-Newark, which also posted a 59-38 victory at Rutgers-Camden on Jan. 11, improved to 14-8 overall and 10-5 in the NJAC. Rutgers-Camden fell to 7-15 overall and 4-11 in the NJAC.

The Scarlet Raiders have won nine of their last 10 games against Rutgers-Camden and lead the all-time series, 54-36.

After trailing, 3-2, early in the first half, the Scarlet Raptors gained the lead for the rest of the half after sophomore forward

Jake Petrik

canned a three-pointer. Junior guard

Arian Azemi

added a field goal and Petrik tacked on another trey to make it a 10-3 game for Rutgers-Camden. The closest Newark came the rest of the half was one point at 22-21 and 26-25.

The Scarlet Raptors scored the final six points to make it 32-25 at the break, adding their final points when a trey by freshman forward

Dylan Trow

banked off the glass at the buzzer.

Scarlet Raptor senior forward

Isaac Destin

led all players in the opening half with nine points, while adding a team-high six rebounds. Petrik scored eight first-half points for Rutgers-Camden. For Newark, senior guard Chase Barneys had seven points.

The second half was a completely different story. Newark first eight points of the half to take a 33-32 lead before a Petrik trey gave Rutgers-Camden the lead at 35-33. Newark tied the game on a layup by junior guard Quincy Rutherford before a foul shot by Azemi put Rutgers-Camden ahead for the last time, 36-35.

The Scarlet Raiders took the lead for good at 38-36 on a trey by Rutherford, who finished his huge night with a game-high 21 points. He went 4-for-8 from three-point range and his go-ahead three-pointer sparked a nine-point Newark run. Moments later, the Raiders added an eight-point run, opening up a 13-point lead.

In addition to Rutherford’s 21 points, Barneys added 14 for the Scarlet Raiders, who placed nine players in the scoring column. Sophomore forward Jordan Salisbury, meanwhile, had a game-high 10 rebounds as Newark held a 40-31 off the boards.

Petrik and Destin paced Rutgers-Camden with 14 points apiece. Destin barely missed a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds.

Newark shot 42.3 percent from the floor (22-for-52) and Camden shot 32.4 (12-for-37). The Scarlet Raptors made 19 turnovers, while the Scarlet Raiders had 12.

Rutgers-Camden plays a 7:30 p.m. NJAC game at Ramapo College Wednesday.

Frank Colden Invitational: Rutgers-Camden Emily Hill Raises Bar Again in Shot Put

COLLEGEVILLE, Penn. (Feb. 8, 2020) – When she competed in the Collegeville Classic on January 25 at Ursinus College, Rutgers University-Camden sophomore

Emily Hilt

broke her own week-old indoor track program record in the shot put.

The Scarlet Raptors returned to action at Ursinus College again on Saturday for the Frank Colden Invitational and Hilt raised the program shot put standard again.

Hilt finished first of 55 competitors in the women’s shot put with a distance of 12.30 meters, breaking the mark of 12.22 meters she set two weeks ago. It was the fourth time this season, out of five meets, that Hilt has set the Rutgers-Camden record in the shot put. She has thrown an ECAC qualifier in the event four times.

Senior

Nicole DeMarco

finished 25th in the shot put (9.16 meters), while sophomore

Anna Archut

was 44th with a PR of 7.59 meters.

The Rutgers-Camden women also received a stellar performance from sophomore

Kirstin Slater,

who finished ninth out of 25 in the 5,000-meter run. She posted a PR time of 20:24.85.

In the 43-runner race for the seeded 60-meter dash, sophomore

Kaila English

finished 24th (8.54) and freshman

Lizette Abad

was 35th (8.94). In the unseeded 60-meter dash, junior-eligible

Caitlyn Kliniewski

placed 23rd of 29 (10.35).

On the men’s side, junior

Logan Pierson

ran his top time of the season in the unseeded 60-meter dash while winning the event in a 26-man field. He posted a time of 7.64.

Rutgers-Camden’s men had a strong showing in the 400-meter dash, led by junior

Vinny Maine,

who finished 23rd of 64 in a time of 54.41. Sophomore

Desmond Howell

finished 26th (54.74), sophomore

Maxwell Adams

was 28th (a PR of 55.42) and sophomore

Shane Costello

finished 58th (1:06.25).

Freshman

Emmanuel Lewis

finished 12th of 42 with a PR of 12.44 meters in the shot put, while sophomore

Will Gross

was 14th (11.99 meters) and senior

Matt Gross

was 25th (a PR of 10.97 meters).

A trio of Raptors in the men’s mile was led by freshman

David Morrow,

who finished 47th of 58 in a time of 5:12.57. Freshman

Naseem Shreim

finished 18th of 30 in the long jump (5.71 meters).

Rutgers-Camden returns to action on Feb. 15 when it competes at the Susquehanna University Invitational.

Sat. 8

Frank Colden Invitational

(at Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA)

MEN:

No Team Scores

WOMEN:

No Team Scores

Rutgers-Camden School Records:

* Women’s Shot Put, Emily Hilt, 12.30 M (Old: 12.22 by Hilt, Jan. 25, 2020 at the Collegeville Classic)

TCNJ tops Rutgers-Camden in NJAC men’s basketball

CAMDEN CITY, N.J. (Feb. 5, 2020) – The College of New Jersey men’s basketball team grabbed a 35-21 halftime lead and held off Rutgers University-Camden, 77-64, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Wednesday night.

The Lions improve to 13-8 overall and 10-4 in the NJAC with their 11th straight win over the Scarlet Raptors. They lead the all-time series, 68-18.

Rutgers-Camden falls to 7-14 overall and 4-10 in the NJAC.

The Scarlet Raptors held a few early leads, with the last coming at 12-11 before the Lions took the lead for good on a three-pointer from freshman guard Anthony DiCaro. Leading 23-19, the Lions rattled off nine straight points on the way to their 35-21 halftime lead.

The Scarlet Raptors sliced the margin to eight points (55-47) midway through the second half on a layup by junior guard

Arian Azemi,

but the Lions padded their lead back to 17 points 64-47 before Rutgers-Camden made a late-game run. A 17-7 spurt, capped by a three-pointer from freshman forward

Dylan Trow,

cut the gap to 71-64 with 3:26 remaining, but that was as close as the Raptors could get. TCNJ scored the final six points of the game, with the final four scored by senior guard Randall Walko, who was named the NJAC Player of the Week on Monday.

Walko and junior forward Travis Jocelyn finished with 17 points apiece for the Lions, while senior forward Ryan Jensen added 15 points. Jenson also led the Lions with nine rebounds, helping TCNJ take a 44-31 advantage off the boards.

Despite the loss, the Scarlet Raptors accomplished a few individual milestones in the game. Senior forward

Isaac Destin

notched a game-high 29 points and 13 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. The 29 points moved him into seventh place on the career scoring list with 1,219, passing Ray Pace, who had 1,201 points in two seasons from 1975-77.

Azemi, meanwhile, collected two steals to hike his season mark to 72, setting a new single-season program record. He passed the previous mark of 71, shared by Joshua Askew (2009-10) and Marvin Young (1980-81).

Azemi also added 18 points and a game-high five assists, while sophomore forward

Jake Petrik

scored 13 points.

Rutgers-Camden plays an 8 p.m. NJAC game at Rutgers-Newark Saturday.

Rutgers-Camden’s Pitts earns NJAC Rookie of the Week Honor

CAMDEN, N.J. (Feb. 3, 2020) –

Jalissa Pitts

has been one of the top freshmen in the New Jersey Athletic Conference throughout her maiden season.

The Rutgers University-Camden guard/forward was rewarded for her talents Monday when she was named the NJAC Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Week. She becomes the Scarlet Raptors’ first NJAC Rookie of the Week since Wykira Johnson-Kelly captured a trio of the conference honors last season (Nov. 12, Dec. 10 and Jan. 21).

Pitts earned her honor after averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds in a pair of conference games as the Scarlet Raptors went 1-1 last week. Rutgers-Camden lost at game at Stockton University Wednesday and posted a big road win Saturday against one of the NJAC’s top teams, Kean University.

Against Stockton, Pitts collected her second career double-double, producing a game-high 19 points, while tying for game-high honors with 11 rebounds. She nearly added another double-double against Kean, once again scoring 19 points and adding nine rebounds. She also collected two assists and two steals in that game.

For the season, Pitts is second on the Scarlet Raptors with a scoring average of 11.6, while leading the team in rebounding with a 7.3 average. She has played in all 20 Rutgers-Camden games, starting 19, including the last 16 contests. She also has added 31 steals (fourth on the team), 21 assists (fourth) and six blocked shots (tied for third).

Pitts notched her first career double-double against Ramapo College on Jan. 8, notching 20 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Her career scoring high of 25 points came in her first collegiate game, Nov. 12 at Penn State-Schuylkill. She added 24 points in her first meeting against Kean on Dec. 14.

Overall, Pitts has scored in double figures on 10 occasions, including three times with 20 or more points. She also has three double-figure games in rebounds.

Pitts, who also earned honors Monday as Rutgers-Camden’s Raptor of the Week, becomes the second Scarlet Raptor to earn NJAC honors this season. On November 18, senior guard

Fatimah Williams

was named the NJAC Player of the Week.

A graduate of Winslow Township High School, Pitts was a two-time All-Olympic Conference First Team player during her scholastic career. She earned 10 varsity letters at Winslow Township, including four apiece in basketball and soccer and two for outdoor track.

A Nursing major at Rutgers-Camden, Pitts captured Dean’s List recognition and a berth on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll during her first semester on campus in the fall.

Fatimah Williams collected a career-high 43 points; Scarlet Knights Take Kean U. 84-75

UNION, N.J. (Feb. 1, 2020) – Senior guard

Fatimah Williams

collected a career-high 43 points for the fourth-highest single-game total in program history to power the Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team over Kean University, 84-75, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday.

Rutgers-Camden improves to 11-9 overall and 4-9 in the NJAC. Kean, which entered the day one game behind the NJAC tri-leaders Rowan, Montclair State and The College of New Jersey, falls to 13-7 and 9-4. Although Kean leads the all-time series, 50-23, the Scarlet Raptors are 4-2 in their last six games against the Cougars.

Williams became only the second player in program history to notch a 40-point game, an accomplishment that the program’s all-time scoring leader, Terry Cole, did four times. Cole has the three top-scoring games above Williams, notching 53 points against Ramapo (Feb. 26, 1983), 45 against Rutgers-Newark (Jan. 26, 1983) and 44 against Jersey City (Jan. 23, 1980). She also had a 40-point game against Spring Garden on Feb. 13, 1980.

Williams passed her previous career high of 32 points, set against Cairn University on Nov. 16, 2019. The game marked the 11th time she has scored 20 or more points this season and raised her career total to 1,139, 11th on the program’s all-time list. She is 15 points behind 10th-place Maureen McGovern (1994-99).

Williams also passed the season 400-point plateau, raising her total to 407 and her scoring average to 20.4.

Williams scored 24 of her points in the first half, helping the Scarlet Raptors take a 45-35 lead at the break. Rutgers-Camden trailed, 22-21, after one quarter and 24-21 early in the second quarter before taking the lead for good, 25-24, on a layup by sophomore forward

Breanna Ettrick.

That basket was part of a 14-0 run for the Raptors, who led by as many as 26 points (70-44) in the second half. The closest Kean came after the break was seven points (82-75) with 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Williams shot 18-for-30 from the floor, including 2-for-4 from three-point range, and was 5-for-9 at the foul line. She added nine rebounds, one steal and a team-high four assists.

In addition to Williams, the Raptors received another outstanding game from freshman guard/forward

Jalissa Pitts,

who scored 19 points and almost notched her second double-double of the week, finishing with nine rebounds. Freshman center

Kayla Newton,

meanwhile, collected a double-double with 12 points and a game- and career-high 19 rebounds. Her previous rebounding high was 10, accomplished four times this season.

The double-double was the third of Newton’s rookie season.

Junior guard

Shane Holmes

added three assists, three steals, three points and three rebounds, while Ettrick had five rebounds to go along with her three points.

Rutgers-Camden held a 51-39 advantage off the boards and shot 34-for-64 (53.1 percent) from the floor, while winning the Cougars were 27-for-83 (32.5) from the floor.

Senior guard Payce Lange and sophomore guard Shannon McCoy scored 22 and 21 points, respectively, for Kean.

The Scarlet Raptors return to NJAC action Wednesday with an 8 p.m. home game against The College of New Jersey.

Rutgers-Camden Men Fall at Division I Princeton

PRINCETON, N.J. (Jan. 26, 2020) – As first-year Head Coach

Stuart Pradia

strives to build the Rutgers University-Camden men’s basketball program, one of the experiences he is introducing to his student-athletes is the chance to play a higher level of competition against a Division I team.

The Scarlet Raptors had that experience here Sunday as they lost to Princeton University, 87-41.

The game marked the first time the Scarlet Raptors had played a Division I team since Nov. 16, 2011, when they lost their season opener, 87-53, at Elon University. The last time Rutgers-Camden played a team from a higher division came against a Division II club on November 16, 2013 during a 69-50 season-opening loss at Millersville University.

Princeton improved to 7-8 with its fourth straight win, while Rutgers-Camden fell to 6-12.

After Princeton scored the game’s first point on a foul shot by freshman forward Tosan Evbuomwan, the Scarlet Raptors took a 2-1 lead on a layup by senior center

Isaac Destin.

Junior guard Ryan Schwieger countered with a layup for the Tigers, but junior guard

Arian Azemi

had a layup to put the Scarlet Raptors back on top, 4-3.

Princeton took the lead for good, 6-4, when sophomore guard Ethan Wright hit a three-pointer 1:29 into the contest and senior center Richmond Aririguzoh followed with a layup. The closest Rutgers-Camden came after that was 8-6 on a jumper by Azemi.

After the Scarlet Raptors made it a 13-8 game, Princeton scored the next 20 points to take command with a 33-8 lead. Azemi broke the Tigers’ run with a foul shot midway through the first half.

Princeton added a nine-point run later in the half on its way to a 53-16 halftime lead. Azemi had seven points and Destin added six to account for 13 of the Raptors’ first-half points. Princeton, meanwhile, had 11 players in the scoring column by halftime, led by Wright (nine points) and junior forward Elijah Barnes (eight).

Both Destin and Azemi finished with 16 points for Rutgers-Camden, while adding three steals apiece. Destin had a team-high six rebounds and Azemi had five boards and a game-high four assists.

Junior forward

Ian McCarthy

had a game-high eight steals, doubling his previous career high of four, set against Ramapo College on Feb. 8, 2018.

Destin’s 16 points allowed him to tie James Washington (1995-98) for 11th place on the program’s all-time list at 1,141. If he gets at least 11 points in his next game, he would move into eighth place past Dane Nicholson (1,144), Jim Kiefer (1,146) and Pete Verling (1,151).

Princeton placed 14 players in the scoring column, led by 20 points from freshman forward Keeshawn Kellman. Barnes added 10 points, while freshman guard Konrad Kiszka collected a game-high seven rebounds. Princeton held a 44-17 advantage off the boards.

The Tigers shot 34-for-55 (61.8 percent) from the floor, including 8-for-20 (40.0) from three-point range. Rutgers-Camden shot 18-for-52 from the floor (34.6) and didn’t hit a trey in 13 attempts.

Rutgers-Camden returns to Division III and New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Wednesday with a 6 p.m. game at Stockton University.

Early run lifts Paterson past Rutgers-Camden men

CAMDEN CITY, N.J. (Jan. 25, 2020) – The William Paterson University men’s basketball team went on a 14-point run after Rutgers University-Camden scored the first three points of the game and the Pioneers went on to defeat the Scarlet Raptors, 79-52, in New Jersey Athletic Conference action here Saturday.

Paterson evens its record at 9-9 overall and improves to 5-6 in the NJAC with its sixth straight win in the all-time series against Rutgers-Camden. The Pioneers lead that series, 63-7.

The Scarlet Raptors fall to 6-11 overall and 3-8 in conference play.

Raptor junior guard

Arian Azemi

buried a three-pointer to get the scoring started, but the Pioneers rattled off the next 14 points, taking the lead for good at 4-3 on a jumper by senior guard Anthony Uribe. Uribe scored six points and junior guard Domenic Mignone added four during the opening run.

Rutgers-Camden managed to slice its deficit to eight points on two occasions (21-13 and 26-18) in the first half before Paterson established a 38-25 halftime lead. The Pioneers led by as many as 28 points (72-44) in the second half.

Mignone scored a game-high 21 points to pace four Pioneers in double figures. Uribe finished with 12 points, junior forward Malcolm McLeod notched 11 and senior forward Sean Smith added 10.

McLeod just missed a double-double, hauling down nine rebounds as WPU dominated the boards, 52-19. Uribe added four assists and three steals.

Senior center

Isaac Destin

notched 17 points and six rebounds to lead the Scarlet Raptors in both categories. Azemi added 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and a game-high five steals.

Sophomore guard

Keysean Simmonds

and freshman forward

Dylan Trow

both collected nine points for Rutgers-Camden.

The Pioneers shot 34-for-63 (54.0 percent) from the floor, while the Scarlet Raptors were 15-for-53 (28.3). Paterson had 24 turnovers, while Rutgers-Camden had 15.

Rutgers-Camden jumps right back into action on Sunday when it plays a road game at Division I Princeton University, beginning at 12 p.m.

NJAC-leading Rowan women outlast Rutgers-Camden

CAMDEN CITY, N.J. (Jan. 22, 2020) – The Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team gave New Jersey Athletic Conference leader Rowan University all it could handle here Wednesday night before the Profs escaped with a 65-61 victory in NJAC action.

Rowan, which was effectively ranked No. 26 nationally this week when it received 11 votes toward the WBCA NCAA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll this week, improved to 15-2 overall and 9-1 in the NJAC. The Profs have won three straight games and 12 of their last 13.

Rutgers-Camden fell to 9-8 overall and 2-8 in the NJAC with its third straight loss.

Rowan has won four straight games against Rutgers-Camden and leads the all-time series, 56-17.

Wednesday’s game wasn’t anything close to the 82-60 loss the Raptors suffered at Rowan on Nov. 26, as neither team held more than a seven-point lead, the game was tied five times and featured seven lead changes. Rutgers-Camden held a 24-19 lead after one quarter before Rowan bounced back to take a 39-38 advantage into halftime. The Profs were led by 14 first-half points from freshman guard Nicole Mallard, while Rutgers-Camden senior guard

Fatimah Williams

had 15 points at the break.

The lead changed hands four times early in the third quarter, with Rowan finally taking the lead for good, 44-43, on a jumper by junior guard Alexis Kriley midway through the period. The Profs, however, weren’t able to pull away and led by only 51-48 entering the fourth quarter.

Rowan built its fourth-quarter lead to seven points on four occasions, including 61-54 with 4:07 remaining in the game, but Rutgers-Camden whittled that margin deficit down to 61-60 with 1:02 remaining. That comeback was sparked by three straight field goals from Williams.

Mallard made it a 63-60 game with 20 seconds remaining after hitting a pair of foul shots, but a free throw by sophomore forward

Breanna Ettrick

cut the gap to 63-61 in the final seconds. Kriley finally iced Rowan’s win with a pair of foul shots at the finish.

Rowan finished with 19 points from Mallard, while Kriley joined junior guard Paige Caldwell and freshman guard Savanna Holt with eight points apiece. Sophomore center Jazlyn Duverglas had nine rebounds for the Profs, including eight in the second half. Rowan held a 53-35 advantage off the boards.

Williams finished with a game-high 25 points, hiking her career scoring output to 1,069. Sophomore guard/forward

Tamara Johnson

added 14 points and tied freshman guard/forward

Jalissa Pitts

with a team-high eight rebounds.

Williams also added five steals for game-high honors. Junior guard

Shane Holmes

tied Rowan freshman guard/forward Eliana Santana with a game-high three assists apiece.

Rowan shot 21-for-58 (36.2 percent) from the floor while Rutgers-Camden went 20-for-59 (33.9).

The Scarlet Raptors return to NJAC action Saturday when they host William Paterson University in a 3 p.m. NJAC game.

Petrik leads balanced attack as Raptors edge Rowan men

CAMDEN CITY, N.J. (Jan. 22, 2020) – Rutgers University-Camden sophomore forward

Jake Petrik

spent his freshman year playing basketball at Rowan University.

The transfer student came back to haunt his old team here Wednesday, scoring a career-high 24 points to lead the Scarlet Raptors to a wild 90-87 victory over the Profs in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game.

Rutgers-Camden improves to 6-10 overall and 3-7 in NJAC play, posting its second conference win in three outings while snapping an eight-game losing streak against Rowan. It was the Raptors’ first win over the Profs since Dec. 2, 2015 when they won a 71-70 game in Camden.

Rowan falls to 8-9 overall and 4-6 in the NJAC, snapping its two-game winning streak. The Profs lead the all-time series against Rutgers-Camden, 97-33.

Petrik had plenty of help as senior forward

Isaac Destin

poured in 23 points, while junior guard

Arian Azemi

collected a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds, while tying for game-high honors with five assists. The Scarlet Raptors also had a career-high 17 points from sophomore guard

Keysean Simmonds.

Petrik’s former career high was 14 points against Rosemont on Nov. 10, while Simmonds’ old high was 12 against Arcadia on Nov. 9.

Rowan jumped out to a big start, leading 14-5 only three minutes into the game. After Rutgers-Camden sliced the deficit to three points on three occasions – the last coming at 21-18 – the Profs went on a five-point run to grab a 26-18 advantage.

The Scarlet Raptors finally came back to tie the game, 28-28, on a jumper by junior guard

Victor Nyanway,

but Rowan followed with a 13-2 run to take its first of two 11-point leads (41-30 and 43-32). Behind seven points from Destin and five from Petrik, the Raptors sliced the gap to 45-44 before Rowan took a 46-44 lead into halftime.

Rutgers-Camden finally took its first lead of the game at 54-52, four minutes into the second half, on a layup by Azemi. That was the first of 17 second-half lead changes, while the score also was tied on nine occasions. Rutgers-Camden finally took the lead for good, 88-86, on a layup by Azemi with 1:03 remaining.

In the final seconds, freshman forward

Dylan Trow

grabbed a huge rebound off a missed Rowan foul shot with the Raptors clinging to an 88-87 lead. Trow was fouled and scored his lone point of the game with a clutch foul shot, making it an 89-87 game. His second foul shot was rebounded by Destin, who was fouled and sunk two free throws for the final margin. Rowan missed a three-pointer with five seconds remaining and another trey at the buzzer.

The Profs placed five players in the scoring column, led by 22 points from senior guard Maliq Sanders. Senior forward Austin Kearney notched 15 points and nine rebounds, while senior forward Diante Bah and senior guard Jerry Price both added 12 points. Junior guard Matt Green had 10 points and tied Azemi with a game-high five assists.

Rutgers-Camden shot 32-for-77 (41.6 percent) from the floor and 15-for-21 (71.4) from the foul line. Rowan was 30-for-68 (44.1) from the floor and 19-for-27 (70.4) from the line.

The two teams combined for 19 treys, including 11 by Rutgers-Camden. Five of those came from Petrik, who went 7-for-16 overall from the floor, including 5-for-11 from three-point range. He was 5-for-6 from the foul line.

Rutgers-Camden hosts William Paterson University in a 1 p.m. NJAC game Saturday.