Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. (Dec. 2, 2015) – Freshman guard Elijah Robles (Clifton, NJ/Clifton) scored a team-high 16 points, including a game-winning shot with five seconds remaining, to lead the Rutgers University-Camden men's basketball team to a thrilling 71-70 victory over Rowan University in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Wednesday night.
 
The victory was the first of the season for the Scarlet Raptors, who raise their record to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in the NJAC. Rowan falls to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in the conference.
 

In a game that was tied, 34-34, at the half and deadlocked five more times in the second half, Rowan eventually built the largest lead of the half, 60-54, with 7:45 remaining in the game. The Profs led, 65-60, with 5:11 remaining before a three-point play by freshman forward Isaac Destin (Woodlynne, NJ/Collingswood) and a layup by Robles knotted the score at 65-65 with 3:40 left.
 
The Scarlet Raptors forged ahead, 67-65, on a layup by Robles, only to have the Profs counter on their own big three-point play by junior forward Shawn Wilson (Pleasantville, NJ/Pleasantville). Wilson hit the front end of a pair of free throws, then rebounded his own missed foul shot and scored on a layup to put Rowan ahead, 68-67, with 1:41 remaining.
 
Wilson added two more foul shots to make it a 70-67 Rowan lead with 50 seconds left, but Raptor senior guard/forward John Tatem (Camden, NJ/Pennsauken Tech) cut the gap to 70-69 with a layup with 44 seconds left. Trying to run down some time on the clock, the Profs turned the ball over on a travel, setting up an off-balance floater by Robles that found the net with five seconds remaining for the go-ahead basket. The Profs attempted one last-gasp drive down the court, but were denied at the basket on a defensive stand by Raptor sophomore forward Abby Bah (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial) as time expired.
 
Robles finished with 16 points and game-high totals of nine rebounds and five assists for the Scarlet Raptors, while Tatem added 13 points. Senior guard Jonathan Baker-Jernigan (Willingboro, NJ/BCIT-Medford) and Destin both added nine points.
 
Wilson scored a game-high 18 points for the Profs, while senior guard Kris O'Connor (Mount Laurel, NJ/Paul VI) had 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Freshman guard Nick DePersia (Cherry Hill, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial) scored 11 points for the Profs.
 
Rutgers-Camden shot 29-for-62 (46.8 percent) from the floor, while Rowan shot 24-for-64 (37.5). The Raptors went 8-for-18 (44.4) from three-point range and 5-for-10 (50.0) from the foul line, while Rowan was only 3-for-16 (18.8) from beyond the arc. The Profs shot 19-for-29 (65.5) from the foul line.
 
Both teams return to NJAC action Saturday. Rutgers-Camden plays a 1 p.m. game at Kean University, while Rowan hosts New Jersey City University at 3 p.m.