Box Score

PATERSON, N.J.  – Playing at William Paterson University has been like a house of horrors for the Rutgers University-Camden men's basketball team over the years, and just when the Scarlet Raptors were thinking the curse had been lifted, the nightmare returned here Saturday afternoon.
 
The Pioneers scored 13 consecutive points midway through the second half, turning a potential Scarlet Raptor victory into a tough defeat as William Paterson posted a 81-64 win over Rutgers-Camden in the New Jersey Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
 
The result left both teams with a 2-1 overall record. Paterson is 1-0 in the NJAC, while Rutgers-Camden is 0-1.
 
The Scarlet Raptors, who haven't won at Paterson since before anybody on the current roster was born, held a 44-34 lead only 2:18 into the second half. They were still ahead, at 50-48, with 13:52 remaining, when the game took a quick turn. While the Raptors went on a scoring drought of 4:03, the Pioneers ran off 13 consecutive points to turn their two-point deficit into a 61-50 lead. They tied the game at 50-50 on a layup by senior guard Sandy Burgos (Fort Lee, NJ/Fort Lee) and took the lead for good moments later on a Burgos jumper.
 
Rutgers-Camden, which hasn't won at Paterson since Nov. 28, 1988, has now lost six straight games overall in the series and 45 of the last 47 meetings. The Scarlet Raptors are 6-53 in the all-time series.
 
The second-half turnaround was a far cry from the opening half, which featured the 1,000th collegiate point by Rutgers-Camden senior guard Wyatt Polk (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial). He collected his 14th and 15th points of the game on a pair of foul shots with 3:42 remaining in the opening half, lifting his combined career total to 1,000 points. He had 938 points in three seasons at Caldwell College and, after a 19-point game against William Paterson, hiked his Rutgers-Camden total to 66 this season and 1,004 overall for his career.
 
The teams traded leads early, but the Scarlet Raptors took the first-half lead for good at 6-5 on a pair of foul shots by Polk only 3:53 into the contest. By halftime, the Scarlet Raptors had raced to a 37-30 lead, sparked by 17 points from Polk and the first nine Rutgers-Camden points from sophomore guard Davis Graham (Cinnaminson, NJ/Doane Academy), a transfer from Rider University.
 
After the break, the Pioneers out-scored the Scarlet Raptors, 51-27, aided by 56.7 percent shooting (17-for-30) from the floor. They shot 66.7 percent (8-for-12) from three-point range in the second half.
 
Burgos paced the winners with a game-high 22 points, while junior guard Bright Mensah (Hackensack, NJ/Hackensack) notched 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds, helping Paterson hold a 34-33 edge off the boards. Sophomore guards Zach Frick (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) and Turrell McClendon (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway Tech) scored 14 and 10 points, respectively, for the Pioneers. Frick added a game-high five assists.
 
For the Scarlet Raptors, in addition to Polk's 19 points, junior guard Julian Martin (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) scored 13 points and Graham added 12. Polk and Martin led the team with six rebounds apiece.
 
Sophomore forward Matt O'Keefe (Sicklerville, NJ/Paul VI) added nine points for Rutgers-Camden.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to action Tuesday when they host The College of New Jersey in an 8 p.m. NJAC game.