CAMDEN, N.J. (Feb. 18, 2026) – The atmosphere was electric at the final home basketball doubleheader of the season here Wednesday night, as Rutgers University-Camden celebrated its fourth annual Raptor Rally, honored the 1,000-point scorers in its basketball history and celebrated the 1975-76 men's basketball team that was a NAIA District 31 finalist.
 
Nothing was more electric, however, than how the Rutgers-Camden men's basketball team closed out its season, earning a thrilling 70-64 victory over New Jersey City University in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game.
 
The Scarlet Raptors raised their record to 13-11 overall and 8-10 in the NJAC, with hopes for post-season action ahead of them. Rutgers-Camden will wait until Monday, March 2, to see if it is selected for a berth in the ECAC tournament.
 
New Jersey City, meanwhile, falls to 14-11 overall and 10-8 in the conference heading into the NJAC playoffs as the fourth seed. The Gothic Knights will host Rowan University on Saturday at 12 p.m.
 
NJCU had won eight straight games in its head-to-head series with Rutgers-Camden, but the Scarlet Raptors snapped that string in front of a packed gym. The Gothic Knights held a 32-28 halftime lead and increased that margin to 34-28 with the first basket of the second half before the Scarlet Raptors rolled off seven straight points, taking a 35-34 lead on a jumper by senior guard Eric Benjamin.
 
The lead changed hands four more times before Rutgers-Camden went ahead to stay, 46-44, on a layup by senior guard Isaiah Waters midway through the half. Benjamin added a trey moments later for a five-point lead and the Gothic Knights never came closer than three points the rest of the way.
 
The Scarlet Raptors held a 10-point lead (65-55) in the last three minutes before posting their six-point win. It was only the seventh time in series history that Rutgers-Camden defeated NJCU, leaving the Gothic Knights with a 77-7 all-time advantage.
 
Senior forward Cameron Downs led the Rutgers-Camden attack with 28 points, while Benjamin canned 20. Sophomore guard Ryan Senft had eight points, four steals, four assists and four rebounds, while Waters collected seven points, three steals, two rebounds and one assist.
 
Senior guard Bakhi Rogers-Robinson netted 16 points for NJCU.
 
Rutgers-Camden shot 23-for-43 (53.5 percent) from the floor and 15-for-19 (78.9) from the foul line, while NJCU shot 20-for-45 from the floor (44.4) and 22-for-28 (78.6) from the line. The Gothic Knights held a 29-24 advantage off the boards.