WAYNE, N.J. (Feb. 27, 2021) – The Rutgers University-Camden men's basketball team made a strong bid to post its first victory of the year in its last game of the regular season, making a spirited late-game run here Saturday afternoon.
 
That run, however, couldn't quite make up for an earlier second-half run by host William Paterson University as the Pioneers rallied past the Scarlet Raptors and hung on to post a 60-55 victory in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game.
 
With the regular season over in the pandemic-shortened season, the two teams move into the NJAC tournament quarterfinals Friday.The eighth-seeded Scarlet Raptors will play an 8 p.m. game at No. 2 seed New Jersey City University.
 
Rutgers-Camden, one of only two men's teams to play all eight games in the regular season (along with Montclair State University), falls to 0-8 overall and in the NJAC. Paterson, which due to COVID protocols and quarantines by various teams only played on the first and last weekends of the season, will enter the playoffs after posting a 2-2 record overall and in the NJAC.
 
After taking a 29-23 halftime lead, the Scarlet Raptors increased their margin early in the second half. With 17:02 remaining in the game, freshman forward Sam Dolphin nailed a three-point field goal to give the visitors a 34-25 advantage. Paterson, however, countered with a 25-4 run as it built a 50-38 advantage with 6:33 remaining. A 15-point Pioneer run started with eight straight points from junior guard Adryan Lopez, making it a 34-33 game. Moments later, senior guard Domenic Mignone hit a jumper, putting Paterson ahead, 35-34, with 13:55 remaining.
 
After the Pioneers increased their lead to 50-38, the Scarlet Raptors closed out the game with a 17-10 run, aided by 10 straight points from freshman forward Tristan Cornish. Rutgers-Camden was able to narrow its gap to 58-55 with five seconds remaining when sophomore guard/forward Jaymes Savage grabbed a defensive rebound and converted a layup at the other end. The Pioneers, however, iced the game on a pair of foul shots by sophomore guard Jadon Cepeda with two seconds left.
 
Mignone paced the Pioneers with a game-high 18 points, while Lopez finished with 13 points and four assists. Sophomore forward Yvens Monfleury collected 10 rebounds.
 
Freshman guard/forward Jaelin Keels paced the Raptors with 13 points, passing his previous career highs of 11 set in back-to-back games against Stockton University Feb. 19 and 20. Savage finished with his first Raptor double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds, while adding a game-high five assists. His 12 rebounds and five assists were career highs.
 
Cornish added 10 points for the Scarlet Raptors, while freshman guard Gavin Henry collected eight points, eight rebounds and four assists.
 
Paterson shot 18-for-47 from the floor (38.3 percent) and Rutgers-Camden went 18-for-49 (36.7). The Scarlet Raptors held a 38-35 advantage off the boards, but also made five more turnovers (16-11).