Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. – Senior guard Wyatt Polk (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial) hit a layup with 1:10 remaining to give Rutgers University-Camden the lead for good and junior guard Julian Martin (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) followed with a steal and a layup as the Scarlet Raptors outlasted Rowan University, 62-59, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference men's basketball game here Thursday night.
 
The win lifts the Raptors to 10-9 overall and 4-8 in the NJAC, snapping a two-game losing streak.
 
The Profs fall to 12-7 overall and 6-6 in the conference with their sixth straight loss. The defeat also snapped a two-game winning streak for Rowan in its all-time series against Rutgers-Camden, but the Profs lead the series, 89-31.
 
Rutgers-Camden built a 37-24 halftime lead and was ahead by as many as 15 points (43-28) in the second half before the Profs went on a 13-3 run to cut the gap to 46-41. After a five-point run re-established a double-digit lead for the Scarlet Raptors, the Profs stormed back with a 16-3 run, capped by a layup by freshman forward TJ Booth (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown), which put Rowan ahead, 57-54 with 2:55 remaining.
 
A pair of foul shots by Martin sliced the gap to one point and the Raptors' freshman forward Abby Bah (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial) grabbed a defensive rebound off a missed Prof shot, setting the stage for Polk's go-ahead layup.
 
After the steal and layup by Martin and a pair of foul shots by Polk, Rutgers-Camden held a 62-57 lead with 28 seconds remaining. Rowan, however, got a layup from sophomore guard Joey Montaivo (Columbus, NJ/Northern Burlington) to make it a 62-59 game and the Profs followed with a rebound off a missed Raptor foul shot. With time ticking down under 10 seconds, the Profs took a pair of three-point field goal attempts, the last one a desperation falling shot with one second remaining that went out of bounds to seal the Raptors' win.
 
Senior guard KJ Brown (Sicklerville, NJ/Living Faith Christian Academy) notched 16 points for the Raptors, tying the Profs' junior guard Kris O'Connor (Mount Laurel, NJ/Paul VI) for game-high honors. Polk, making his first appearance since injuring his ankle against Montclair State on Jan. 10, finished with 10 points. Bah tied the highs for his brief career with seven points and seven rebounds.
 
In addition to O'Connor, Booth scored 10 points for the Profs. O'Connor added a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Rutgers-Camden shot 24-for-61 (39.3 percent) from the floor, while Rowan shot 23-for-42 (54.8) and held a 32-31 edge off the boards. The Profs, however, made 19 turnovers to the Raptors' eight.
 
Both teams return to action with NJAC games Saturday.  Rutgers-Camden plays a 1 p.m. contest at Kean University, while Rowan hosts New Jersey City University at 3 p.m.