CAMDEN, N.J. (Nov. 9, 2024) – The Rutgers University-Camden men's basketball team watched Penn State-Lehigh Valley overcome a huge early deficit before the Scarlet Raptors recovered to capture a 74-51 victory here Saturday in their season opener.
 
The Scarlet Raptors opened their season with a 22-6 run less than seven minutes into the first half, sparked by 11 points from junior guard Eric Benjamin and six from senior forward Jordany Pierre. Benjamin's output included a trio of three-pointers, while Pierre hit a pair of treys.
 
Rutgers-Camden led, 30-11, before Penn State-Lehigh Valley (0-2) rallied late in the first half. By halftime, the Nittany Lions had cut their deficit to 36-34, and they opener the second half with five straight points to take a 39-36 lead. Rutgers-Camden scored the next seven points to take the lead for good, tying the game on a three-point play by Benjamin and going ahead, 41-39, on a dunk by junior forward Cherif Kanoute. After a jumper by freshman guard Ryan Senft made it a 43-39 game, Penn State-Lehigh Valley closed the gap to 43-41 before the Scarlet Raptors opened up the game with a seven point run.
 
The 23-point final margin was the Raptors' biggest lead of the night.
 
Benjamin led the team with 18 points, while junior forward Cameron Downs netted 17 and Senft added 10. Downs also led the Scarlet Raptors with six rebounds.
 
Junior guard/forward Nashawn Johnson scored 12 points to lead the Nittany Lions.
 
Rutgers-Camden shot 27-for-69 (39.1 percent) from the floor and 13-for-21 (61.9) from the foul line, while Penn State-Lehigh Valley was 22-for-56 (39.3) from the floor and 2-for-2 from the line. Although the Nittany Lions held a 48-33 advantage off the boards, they also made 29 turnovers.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to action on Wednesday when they host FDU-Florham at 6 p.m.