CAMDEN, N.J. (Nov. 16, 2021) – Junior center Justice Washington scored a layup with two seconds remaining to lead the Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team over Rutgers University-Camden, 71-69, in a foul-filled non-conference game here Tuesday night.
 
It was the first game of the season for Albertus Magnus, a New Haven, Connecticut-based school that rolled up nine straight 20-plus win seasons before being shut down entirely last season by the pandemic.
 
The Scarlet Raptors fell to 0-2 in the contest, which featured 55 fouls, including a pair of Raptors fouling out, and 64 foul shots. Albertus Magnus shot 21-for-30 from the line, while Rutgers-Camden was 21-for-34.
 
The visitors raced to quick leads of 6-0 and 14-4 before Rutgers-Camden slowly clawed its way back into the game. The Raptors tied the game twice late in the first half on field goals by freshman guard Andrew Walker, making it 26-26, and sophomore guard Gavin Henry, knotting the score at 28-28. After the Falcons regained a 35-31 lead, freshman guard Noel Gonzalez scored on a layup to make it 35-33 just before half. The Falcons tacked on a field goal at the buzzer by senior forward Terry Dawkins to take a 37-33 lead into the break and set the stage for a wild second half.
 
With 6:52 remaining, a pair of foul shots by senior guard Davon Warner gave the Falcons a 62-55 lead before Rutgers-Camden made a 7-2 run, cutting the gap to 64-62 on a trey by Henry. The Raptors tied the game at 64-64 on a layup by sophomore forward Tristan Cornish before junior guard Tavian Alford hit a completed a huge four-point play, hitting a trey, getting fouled and adding a free throw.
 
That play gave Rutgers-Camden its first lead of the game, but a foul shot and a layup by Washington sliced the gap to 68-67 with 2:30 remaining. Alford's foul shot with 47 seconds left gave Rutgers-Camden a 69-67 lead before a pair of foul shots by senior guard Tyreek Perkins tied the game with 43 seconds left.
 
A missed layup by the Scarlet Raptors with 18 seconds remaining was rebounded by Dawkins and the Falcons, playing for a last shot, scored on a layup by Washington with two seconds left. Rutgers-Camden's final desperation shot from midcourt was off the mark.
 
Washington and Warner finished with 16 points apiece for Albertus Magnus, while Dawkins had 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Perkins added 11 points and eight boards, helping the Falcons to a 39-34 edge off the glass.
 
Henry paced the Scarlet Raptors with 16 points and Cornish added 10. Sophomore forward Jordan Carter and Keels notched nine points apiece, while Alford added seven. Carter had a team-high six rebounds.
 
The Scarlet Raptors travel to Massachusetts to play in Amherst College's Ken Wright Invitational Tournament this weekend. Rutgers-Camden faces SUNY-Geneseo at 7 p.m. Friday in one semifinal game, following the contest between Amherst College and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The consolation game will be at 12 p.m. Saturday, with the championship game to follow at 2 p.m.