Box Score

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (Dec. 3, 2016) – The New Jersey City University men's basketball team went on a 14-point run early in the second half and went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 81-64, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.
 
NJCU improves to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the NJAC, while Rutgers-Camden falls to 0-4 and 0-3.
 
The Gothic Knights, a perennial conference power, have won 50 of their last 52 games against Rutgers-Camden and lead the all-time series, 60-5.
 
Trailing by as many as eight points (12-4) early in the game, the Scarlet Raptors rallied from a 14-10 deficit with 11 straight points to take a 21-14 lead before NJCU regained its advantage at 26-25. A layup by junior guard Marcus Taylor (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) put the Raptors back on top for the final time, 27-26. Moments later, the Gothic Knights took the lead for good, 29-27, on a three-pointer by senior guard Jalen Harris (Brandywine, MD/Gwynn Park).
 
After the Raptors cut the gap to 29-28, NJCU went on a 17-2 run to grab a 46-30 lead before Rutgers-Camden scored the final five points of the first half. Harris notched 14 first-half points for the Gothic Knights, while freshman forward Sam Toney (Somerdale, NJ/Williamstown) added 11. For Rutgers-Camden, senior guard Julian Martin (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) notched 11 points in the opening 20 minutes.
 
The Gothic Knights opened up the game in the second half, scoring 14 straight points after Rutgers-Camden notched the first field goal of the second half on a jumper by sophomore forward Isaac Destin (Woodlynne, NJ/Collingswood). The run gave NJCU a 60-37 lead.
 
Harris finished with 20 points for NJCU, while Toney added 17. They combined to shoot 14-for-20 from the floor, including 7-for-12 from three-point range. Overall, NJCU was 13-for-28 (46.4 percent) from three-point range.
 
Destin scored 19 points for the Scarlet Raptor, while adding 11 rebounds to collect a double-double for the second straight game. Martin added 12 points. Freshman guard Keith Washington Jr. (Clementon, NJ/Monsignor Bonner) and senior guard Julian Diaz-Smitherman (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) both added nine. Diaz-Smitherman added three steals and three assists, while Martin also had three assists.
 
Rutgers-Camden plays another NJAC game Wednesday, with a 6 p.m. tip-off at Stockton University.