Box score

 Ewing, NJ … Despite its best defensive effort of the season, The College of New Jersey men's basketball team failed to gain its first conference victory as they fell to Rutgers University-Camden 49-44.

Trailing by nine points with under two minutes to play, the Lions (3-10, 0-3 NJAC) staged a comeback but couldn't quite get over the hump as the Scarlet Raptors (2-8, 1-2 NJAC) held on for their first conference triumph.

Sophomore Donovan Smalls (Union, NJ/Union) led TCNJ with 11 points, while sophomores Brian Kelly (Clark, NJ/Lawrenceville Prep) and William Lester (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) reached double figures with 10 points a piece.

Rutgers Camden had a balanced attacked as nine different players scored points led by senior Alex Rislin (Union, NJ/Union) who netted 10 points and eight rebounds on the night.

Both teams struggled on offense from opening tip-off to the final buzzer. The Lions' defense held the Raptors scoreless for over eight minutes to start the game. Rislin cracked the ice with a lay-up underneath before being fouled and converting at the foul line.

Lester pumped in five points in six minutes of play off the bench to help nudge a sluggish TCNJ offense. But the Lions couldn't seem to establish rhythm as Rutgers-Camden took its first lead with 1:26 remaining when Rislin hit a pair of free throws. Freshman Jason Richardson (Cedarbrook, NJ/Winslow Township) followed a jumper to give the Scarlet Raptors a four-point cushion at the intermission.

The tempo picked up in the second half, but scoring remained arduous for both teams as spirited defense dominated the contest. Lester knocked down a three-pointer to knot the game at 29 with 15 minutes to play as the game remained within four points over the next ten minutes.

Holding a 42-38 lead with 3:15 to play, senior Kevin Brown (Port Norris, NJ/Millville)
drove the baseline and banked in a layup to pull ahead by six. A Brown put-back and free throw gave Rutgers its largest lead of game at 47-38 with 1:30 to play.

Smalls responded with a three-pointer to cut the margin to six. Brian Kelly then stole the inbounds pass and was fouled, making the back-end to make it a 47-42 at the 1:19 mark.

Steve Siracusa (New Providence, NJ/New Providence) blocked a shot on the next Scarlet Raptor possession and hit a 15-foot jumper to draw within three. But two clutch free throws from Rislin with seven seconds remaining put the game out of reach.

The Lions shot just 28 percent from the field, but efficiency from the free throw line may have been the difference in the game. TCNJ was just 10-of-22 on its foul shots, while Rutgers-Camden hit 9-of-11.

TCNJ returns to conference play on Saturday when they host New Jersey City University at 3 p.m. at Packer Hall. The Scarlet Raptors will host NJAC opponent Rutgers University-Newark at 1 p.m.