CAMDEN, N.J.. (Nov. 29, 2023) – The Rutgers University-Camden men's basketball team not only grabbed a big New Jersey Athletic Conference victory here Wednesday night, the Scarlet Raptors also did it in historic fashion.
 
With a thrilling 64-61 victory over Stockton University, the Scarlet Raptors broke a losing streak against the Ospreys that dated back to Feb. 13, 2008, in Camden. Rutgers-Camden had lost 30 consecutive games against Stockton and 76 of its last 77 before its huge victory Wednesday.
 
The win lifts the Scarlet Raptors to 4-3 overall and evens their NJAC record at 1-1. Stockton, which leads its all-time series against Rutgers-Camden, 84-9, falls to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
 
With sophomore forward Cameron Downs scoring 14 points and junior forward Darnell Demby Jr. adding 11 in the first half, the Scarlet Raptors opened up leads as large as 17 points (35-18 and 37-20) before holding a 41-32 lead at the break.
 
Stockton quickly sliced that margin to two points, 41-39, by scoring the first seven points of the second half, including five points by senior forward DJ Campbell. The rest of the way, the biggest Raptor lead was seven points (50-43), with 12:49 remaining, but that lead eventually evaporated on a three-pointer by junior guard Martin Anguelov, tying the game at 52-52 with 7:44 remaining.
 
Downs followed with a three-point play to make it a 55-52 game, but Stockton answered with a jumper by senior forward Jalen Collins to slice the margin to 55-54. Graduate student guard Javon Gordon countered with a big layup for the Scarlet Raptors, junior forward Jordany Pierre added a clutch trey and sophomore forward Cherif Kanoute hit the front end of two foul shots for a six-point run, giving the Raptors a 61-54 lead with 3:00 remaining.
 
Stockton answered with five straight points, making it a 61-59 game with 19 seconds remaining. After Raptor sophomore guard Jordan Trusty-Smith hit a foul shot , Campbell's jumper with five seconds remaining sliced the margin to 62-61. With four seconds remaining, Demby was fouled and hit both shots from the line for the final margin. Stockton turned the ball over in its bid to rush up the court for an attempt at a game-tying trey.
 
Downs led the Raptors with 19 points, while Demby added 15. Kanoute had a game-high 10 rebounds, helping the Scarlet Raptors hold a 39-38 edge off the boards.
 
Campbell scored 19 points for Stockton, while sophomore forward Tayvon Gaither added 10.
 
Rutgers-Camden shot 24-for-59 from the floor (40.7 percent) and 11-for-15 (73.3) from the foul line. Stockton shot 22-for-59 (37.3) and 9-for-12 (75.0), respectively.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to action Saturday with a 3 p.m. NJAC home game against Montclair State University.