Box Score UNION, N.J. – The Kean University men's basketball team went on a 29-14 run to close out the game, overcoming a two-point deficit and defeating Rutgers University-Camden, 82-69, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.

The Cougars improve to 12-9 overall and 8-6 in the NJAC, while the Scarlet Raptors fall to 4-17 overall and 2-12 in the conference.
Kean, which beat Rutgers-Camden, 88-66, in Camden on Jan. 11, leads the all-time series, 54-20, and has won 13 of the last 14 games between the two teams.

The Cougars opened up a 41-35 halftime lead as senior center Xavier Fuller (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) led a balanced attack with 10 points, while senior guard Ali Mix (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus) and sophomore guard Tom Soulias (Milltown, NJ/Spotswood) both added nine points. For the Scarlet Raptors, junior guard/forward Teon Russell (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) collected 14 points and six rebounds in the opening half.

Rutgers-Camden rallied in the second half and took the lead several times, with the last being 55-53 on a pair of foul shots by sophomore guard/forward John Tatem (Camden, NJ/Pennsauken Tech) with 9:52 remaining in the game. Moments later, Fuller tied the game for the sixth time, collecting a layup at 9:35 to start a seven-point run that put the Cougars ahead to stay. Junior guard J.J. Hladik (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) followed with a three-pointer 28 seconds later, giving Kean a 58-55 lead.

The home team stretched its lead to 62-56 before the Raptors cut the margin to three points for the last time on a trey by sophomore guard/forward Steven Schneider (Berlin, NJ/Eastern Regional). The Cougars responded with the next eight points to hike the lead to double digits and went on to hand the Scarlet Raptors their third straight loss.

Kean finished with four players in double figures, led by Mix with 20 points. Hladik and Fuller both scored 14, while senior guard Michael Burton (Irvington, NJ/South Plainfield) added 13. Soulias finished with nine.

Mix, Burton and Hladik each collected five assists for the Cougars, while Fuller had four blocked shots.

The Scarlet Raptors received 20 points and 12 rebounds from Russell, who notched his eighth double-double of the season. He also added a career-high five assists to tie the Kean trio for game-high honors.

Tatem also collected a double-double for the Raptors – his fourth of the season – with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, while junior guard/forward Alex Smart (Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek) added 14 points and a game-high four steals.

Schneider was the fourth Raptor in double figures, notching 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the floor, including a 3-for-7 performance from three-point range.
Kean held a 40-35 advantage off the boards and shot 49.2 percent (30-for-61) from the floor, including 11-for-27 (40.7) from three-point range. Rutgers-Camden shot 41.8 percent (28-for-67) from the floor overall, including 6-for-9 (46.7) from beyond the arc.

Rutgers-Camden travels to The College of New Jersey Monday for an 8 p.m. NJAC makeup game.