Box Score CAMDEN, N.J. – In a shootout reminiscent of the wild west, the Rutgers University-Camden and Arcadia University men's basketball teams traded baskets and leads beyond the regulation 40 minutes in a non-conference game here Wednesday night.
The wild action didn't end until the Knights missed the front end of a pair of foul shots with one-tenth of a second left, and then purposefully missed the second trying to get the rebound that was grabbed by Raptor freshman
Abby Bah (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial), that Rutgers-Camden escaped with a 92-90 victory in the first overtime.
The win lifts the Scarlet Raptors to 2-0, their best start since going 3-0 to open the 2009-10 season.
Arcadia falls to 1-2.
The game that had everything featured the hot shooting of Raptor senior guard
Wyatt Polk (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial), a transfer from Caldwell College who is in his first year at Rutgers-Camden. Polk lit up the night with 36 points, the most by a Scarlet Raptor since Dane Nicholson scored 40 on Jan. 6, 2005, ironically at Arcadia.
The Scarlet Raptors, who roared back from a 78-69 deficit with 7:54 remaining, notched the last six points of regulation, sparked by a jumper from Polk to make it 84-80. Junior guard/forward
John Tatem (Camden, NJ/Pennsauken Tech) hit three free throws in the last 2:27 of regulation, including the game-tying shot with four seconds remaining. Polk had the other free throw.
Tied at 84-84, Arcadia scored the firsts two field goals of overtime on a pair of layups by senior guard
Travis Saltus Jr. (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck). Rutgers-Camden came back to tie the game at 88-88 on two foul shots by Tatem and a jumper by Polk. After the Raptors' junior guard
Julian Martin (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) and the Knights' sophomore guard
Ryan Kelley (Mt. Arlington, NJ/Roxbury) traded layups, Rutgers-Camden notched the tie-breaking basket on a jumper by senior guard
K.J. Brown (Sicklerville, NJ/Living Faith Christian Academy) with less than 10 seconds remaining.
A foul at the basket put the Knights' junior forward
Alex Cohen (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood) on the line with one-tenth of a second remaining, but he missed the first shot and was forced to miss the second. Bah secured the rebound and the Raptor win.
Polk finished the night shooting 12-for-23 from the floor, including 6-for-13 from three-point range. He was 6-for-8 from the foul line. Martin added 21 points for the Raptors, while Brown scored 13 and Tatem notched nine, including 5-for-6 shooting from the foul line, all in the second half and overtime.
Tatem and senior guard
Jason Richardson (Cedarbrook, NJ/Winslow Township) both grabbed seven rebounds, while Bah added six. Martin tied for game-high honors with five assists.
Arcadia received 24 points from senior forward
Joe Brown (Glenside, PA/LaSalle College High School). Senior forward/center
Jose Figueroa (Philadelphia, PA/Plumstead Christian) notched a double-double of 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds before fouling out in the second half. Saltus finished with 15 points for the Knights and Kelley tied for game-high honors with his five assists.
Arcadia shot 53.3 percent (32-for-60) from the floor, while Rutgers-Camden shot 49.3 (34-for-69). The Knights held a 38-34 edge off the boards.
The Scarlet Raptors return to action Saturday when they begin New Jersey Athletic Conference play with a 1 p.m. game at William Paterson University.
The Knights play a 3 p.m. game Saturday at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland.
