EWING, N.J.. (Nov. 21, 2023) – The Rutgers University-Camden and The College of New Jersey men's basketball teams opened their New Jersey Athletic Conference season with an old fashioned barn burner of a game, as the two teams fought to the wire before the Lions survived with a 75-68 victory here Tuesday night.
 
The loss drops the Scarlet Raptors to 3-3 overall and 0-1 in the NJAC, while the Lions improve to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
 
Although TCNJ has won its last 18 games against Rutgers-Camden, this game was hardly indicative of that run. The two teams were tied six times in the second half and swapped leads on six occasions. The Lions finally took the lead for good at 58-57 on a foul shot by sophomore guard Nick Koch with 9:18 remaining and followed with 14 more free throws down the stretch to hold off the Scarlet Raptors.
 
Rutgers-Camden cut its deficit to one point on three occasions after two foul shots by Koch gave the Lions a 59-57 advantage. The Raptors cut the margin to 62-61 on a layup by sophomore forward Cherif Kanoute, to 63-62 on a foul shot by sophomore forward Cameron Downs with 5:01 remaining and to 65-64 on a layup by senior guard Ethan Tarte with 4:20 left. Following Tarte's field goal, the Lions countered with the only field goal they hit the rest of the way, a big three-pointer by sophomore forward Matthew Solomon.
 
The first half was just as tight. After five early ties, TCNJ had a 10-point run to break open a 17-17 deadlock, only to have Rutgers-Camden climb back into the game with eight straight points, including five by junior guard Eric Benjamin. Once again, TCNJ countered with its own run to take a 34-27 lead, yet by halftime, the Scarlet Raptors had cut their deficit to 35-34. They were aided by a three-pointer from sophomore guard Jordan Trusty-Smith on the last field goal of the half.
 
Koch had 12 first-half points for the Lions, while Trusty-Smith led the Raptors with seven points at the break.
 
For the game, Matthew Solomon led TCNJ with 20 points, including 11-for-14 shooting from the foul line that helped provide the difference down the stretch. He also added 10 rebounds for a double-double.
 
Koch added 17 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Lions, while junior guard Anthony Milligan canned 11 points.
 
Downs and Kanoute scored 11 points apiece for Rutgers-Camden, while Benjamin added 10. Tarte notched eight points and team highs of seven rebounds and four assists.
 
Although TCNJ shot only 17-for-44 (38.6 percent) from the floor, the Lions went 33-for-41 (80.5) from the foul line compared to the Scarlet Raptors' 6-for-14 (42.9). Rutgers-Camden shot 27-for-56 (48.2) from the field.
 
The Lions held a 32-28 edge off the boards and made five fewer turnovers (20-15) than the Scarlet Raptors.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to action Wednesday when they host Stockton University in an 8 p.m. NJAC game.