CAMDEN, N.J. (Dec. 10, 2022) – In a tense game that came down to the wire here Saturday, the rolls didn't go the way of the Rutgers University-Camden men's basketball team.
 
As a result, the Scarlet Raptors dropped a 55-54 decision in heartbreaking fashion against New Jersey Athletic Conference rival and sister school Rutgers University-Newark.
 
With their fourth straight loss, the Scarlet Raptors fell to 2-8 overall and 0-5 in the NJAC. Newark, which snapped a five-game losing streak, improved to 2-7 overall and 1-3 in the conference.
 
The tight finish came down to the last few seconds, when Newark freshman guard Shy'Heed Jenkins-Floyd broke a 54-54 tie by hitting the back end of a pair of free throws with 6.3 seconds remaining. Rutgers-Camden had two shots down low to win the game in the closing seconds, but field goal attempts in traffic by sophomore guard Jordan Trusty-Smith and junior guard Gavin Henry barely missed finding the mark.
 
Behind a balanced attack, Rutgers-Camden held a 28-18 halftime lead after leading by as many as 14 points (21-7 and 23-9) in the opening 20 minutes. The Raptors were ahead by 11 (30-19) early in the second half before Newark stormed back to cut the deficit to one point on a pair of occasions (35-344 and 45-44). The Scarlet Raiders finally took the lead at 46-45 on a layup by sophomore guard Levi Holton with 4;36 remaining, triggering a furious finish which saw four lead changes and the margin never more than two points.
 
With 13 seconds remaining, Trusty-Smith tied the game with a layup at 54-54, setting the stage for the final hectic seconds.
 
Holton led Rutgers-Newark with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Jenkins-Floyd finished with 10 points and five steals.
 
Rutgers-Camden received 14 points from sophomore forward Jordany Pierre, while freshman forward Cameron Downs added 10 points and a team-high six rebounds.
 
Newark shot 19-for-35 (54.3 percent) from the floor and 17-for-29 (58.6) from the foul line in the game, while Rutgers-Camden was 20-for-46 (43.5) and 8-for-12 (66.7), respectively. The Raiders held a 29-22 advantage off the boards.
 
The Scarlet Raptors' final game before the holiday break will be a non-conference home contest Wednesday at 6 p.m. against North Carolina Wesleyan.