CAMDEN, N.J. (Jan. 10, 2026) – Kean University junior forward Daniel Dextraze scored a game-high 34 points to help the Cougars weather a strong Rutgers University-Camden rally and post a 77-64 victory in a New Jersey Athletic Conference men's basketball game here Saturday afternoon.
 
Kean improves to 8-6 overall and 5-2 in the NJAC. The Cougars have won their last three games against Rutgers-Camden dating back to last season and lead the all-time series, 66-29.
 
Rutgers-Camden falls to 7-6 overall and 2-5 in conference play.
 
Dextraze scored 18 first-half points as the Cougars took a 41-24 lead into the break. They led by as many as 20 points on four occasions in the opening half. Kean held its final 20-point lead, 44-24, when Dextraze opened the second half with a trey, but Rutgers-Camden went on a 28-11 run over the next 10 minutes, cutting its deficit to 55-52 on a trey by senior guard Eric Benjamin with 9:28 remaining.
 
Kean countered with seven straight points, including the first four by junior guard Kareem Irby, to make it a 62-52 game and Rutgers-Camden never came closer than eight points the rest of the way.
 
In addition to Dextraze, Irby scored 18 points for Kean, while senior center Christian Garcia collected a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Benjamin and sophomore guard Chase Ambrosius led the Scarlet Raptors with 12 points apiece, while senior forward Cameron Downs added 10. Freshman forward Makai Crawford had a team-high six rebounds for the Scarlet Raptors.
 
Kean shot 23-for-46 from the floor (50 percent), including 7-for-15 from three-pint range (46.7). The Cougars went 24-for-31 (77.4) from the foul line, with Irby and Dextraze combining for 17 successful foul shots.
 
Rutgers-Camden went 23-for-54 from the floor (42.6), including 10-for-31 (32.3) from three-point range. The Scarlet Raptors were 8-for-15 from the foul line.
 
Kean held a 37-26 advantage off the boards.
 
Rutgers-Camden returns to NJAC action on Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. game at New Jersey City University.