Box score
Camden, NJ... A running jumper by Josh Askew with 3.6 seconds remaining in the game sank The College of New Jersey men’s basketball team as they suffered a gut-wrenching 70-68 loss to Rutgers University-Camden.
The loss drops the Lions (12-10, 4-7) a full game behind Kean University for the third and final playoff spot in the South Division of the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
The defeat at the hands of the Scarlet Raptors forces a must-win game tomorrow for TCNJ as third-place Kean (8-14, 5-7 NJAC) visits Packer Hall tomorrow in a crucial NJAC showdown at 3 p.m. TCNJ lost to Kean earlier this season 61-54 in Union, NJ.
Senior Jay Frank (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) and junior Steven Siracusa (New Providence, NJ/New Providence) led the Lions with 18 points each. The offense output was a career-best for Siracusa, who hit 8-of-11 shots from the field.
TCNJ held a 40-37 halftime lead, but Rutgers-Camden (6-16, 1-10 NJAC) shot 50 percent in the second half to seal their first conference win of the season. Shawn Green paced the Raptors with a team-high 16 points while Askew netted 15 points.
Senior William Jett (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton) had a solid game for the Lions dropping in 10 points and grabbing six boards while sophomore Pete Kelly (Mercerville, NJ/Nottingham) contributed nine points and an assist on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor.
Following tomorrow’s game, the Lions travel to conference foe Richard Stockton College (16-6, 6-4 NJAC) on Wednesday, February 17 for their regular season finale.