Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. – The Rutgers University-Camden men's basketball team did its job here Saturday afternoon with an 80-72 victory over Ramapo College in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game.
 
Unfortunately for the Scarlet Raptors, they needed help to stay in the race for the sixth and final NJAC playoff spot. That help didn't come when New Jersey City University defeated Montclair State University, 83-58, earlier in the afternoon, eliminating the Scarlet Raptors from the race with one game remaining. Rutgers-Camden's win over Ramapo, meanwhile, eliminated the Roadrunners from the chase and gave the final spot to NJCU.
 
Despite losing a chance at the NJAC playoffs, Rutgers-Camden clinched a winning regular-season record, becoming eligible to be selected for the ECAC playoffs. If they are selected to play in the ECAC tournament in early March, it will be the first post-season berth for Rutgers-Camden men's basketball since the 1975-76 season, when the team was a NAIA program.
 
Rutgers-Camden will take a 13-11 record overall and a 7-10 NJAC mark into its final NJAC game Wednesday night at New Jersey City University. It's the team's most wins overall and in the NJAC since the 2001-02 team finished with a 14-11 record and an 8-10 log in the conference.
 
Ramapo, meanwhile, fell to 13-10 overall and 7-10 in the NJAC with its third straight loss against Rutgers-Camden. The Roadrunners, who still lead their all-time series against the Raptors by a 43-15 count, close their regular-season Wednesday with an 8 p.m. NJAC game at Rutgers-Newark.
 
In addition to all of the post-season implications, the game also served as Senior Day for five Scarlet Raptors as Rutgers-Camden recognized the careers of KJ Brown (Sicklerville, NJ/Living Faith Christian Academy), Wyatt Polk (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial), Jason Richardson (Cedarbrook, NJ/Winslow Township), Teon Russell (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) and Alex Smart (Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek).
 
The Scarlet Raptors took the lead for good at 9-8 on a three-pointer by Polk and were threatened a few times, but never tied the rest of the way. They held a 36-33 halftime lead, sparked by 10 points from Polk. Junior forward Frank Nock (Bridgeton, NJ/Bridgeton) had 10 first-half points for the Roadrunners.
 
Polk, who entered the game as the NJAC scoring leader with a 21.1 average, finished with a game-high 25 points and a team-high seven rebounds. The 25 points gave Polk 405 for the season, making him only the 26th player in program history to record 400-plus points in one season. The last player to accomplish the feat was Brian Turner, who scored 548 points during the 2001-02 season, when he was named the NJAC Player of the Year and went on to earn NABC All-America First Team honors.
 
Junior guard Julian Martin (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) added 13 points, while Russell and Smart notched 10 apiece.
 
Ramapo received 18 points from Nock, while freshman forward Thomas Bonacum (Fanwood, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) collected a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Ramapo held a 44-28 advantage off the boards.
 
Sophomore forward Jermaine Peart (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Catholic) and freshman forward Ve'Shawn Polite (Harlem, NY/Elmwood Park Memorial) both scored 11 points for the Roadrunners.