GALLOWAY, N.J. (Jan. 24, 2024) – In a season full of highlights and firsts, the Rutgers University-Camden men's basketball team may have pulled off its finest accomplishment yet in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Wednesday night.
 
With a 77-71 victory over NJAC co-leader Stockton University, the Scarlet Raptors swept their two-game regular-season series against the Ospreys for only the third time in the history of a rivalry that started during the 1972-73 season. The only other seasons Rutgers-Camden swept the Ospreys, when that school was called Richard Stockton College, were in 1980-81 and in 1977-78.
 
Rutgers-Camden, which defeated Stockton, 64-61 on the Raptors' home court on Nov. 29, improved to 10-9 overall and 5-7 in conference play, snapping a two-game losing streak. With their 10th win, the Raptors broke into double-digit victories for the first time since they finished 14-12 during the 2014-15 season.
 
Stockton, which fell to 12-7 overall and 8-4 in the NJAC, leads its all-time series with Rutgers-Camden, 84-10, and has won all but three games against the Raptors since the 1984-85 season. Two of those Rutgers-Camden victories have come this season. The other came on Feb. 13, 2008 in Camden.
 
In a first half that featured four ties and five lead changes, the Ospreys took a late lead with a 10-point run and held a 38-33 advantage at the break. Behind the offense of sophomore forwards Cameron Downs and Cherif Kanoute, however, the Scarlet Raptors opened the second half with a 9-4 run, tying the game at 42-42 on a layup by Kanoute.
 
After Stockton reestablished its lead, Rutgers-Camden took the lead for good at 50-49 on a layup by sophomore guard Jordan Trusty-Smith with 12:28 remaining. The Scarlet Raptors built leads of eight points on three occasions down the stretch before Stockton cut its deficit to 73-69 with 1:32 remaining. The Raptors put the game away on a late three-pointer by junior guard Eric Benjamin and tacked on a foul shot by Downs to make it a 77-69 game. Stockton scored the final points on a layup with seven seconds remaining.
 
Downs paced the Rutgers-Camden offense with 22 points, while Kanoute notched his third double-double of the season – and second in three games – with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Benjamin finished with 11 points, while Trusty-Smith added eight. Graduate student guard Javon Gordon dished off four assists to tie for game-high honors with Stockton senior forward DJ Campbell.
 
Sophomore guard EJ Matthews-Spratley scored 22 points for the Ospreys to tie Downs for game-high honors. He also had a game-high four steals. Campbell netted 17 points, including the 2,000th of his stellar career on a dunk early in the first half. Sophomore forward Tayvon Gaither had a game-high 12 rebounds.
 
Rutgers-Camden held a 35-30 edge off the boards and shot 27-for-50 (54.0 percent) from the floor and 17-for-20 (85.0) from the line. Stockton shot 26-for-64 (40.6) from the floor and 13-for-16 (81.3) from the foul line.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to NJAC action Saturday when they host Rutgers-Newark at 1 p.m.