The Defenders improve to 4-3 with their second straight win, while the Scarlet Raptors fall to 4-4 with their third consecutive loss.
Baptist Bible led practically the whole way in the game that alternated runs between the two teams. The Defenders built a nine-point lead at 43-34 early in the second half before the Raptors rallied to take their lone lead of the night, 55-53, on a three-pointer by freshman guard Rory Thornton (Vauxhall, NJ/Union) with 7:52 remaining.
The Defenders answered with their own three-pointer by freshman forward Josh Workman (Akron, OH/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) to regain the lead at 56-55. They increased their lead to 65-61 before the Raptors rallied again on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Wayne Smalls (Camden, NJ/Medical Arts), making it a 65-64 game with 54 seconds remaining. Following a Baptist Bible timeout, however, the Defenders’ Collins immediately nailed a three-pointer, sparking his team to a game-ending six-point run. They scored the last three points from the foul line on a free throw by Collins and a pair of foul shots with six seconds remaining by sophomore guard Justin Cook (Brownsburg, IN/Bethesda Christian).
In addition to Collins, junior guard Ken Clarke (Champaign, IL/Emmanuel Baptist) scored 11 points for the Defenders, while junior forward Tim O’Keefe (Perry, OH/Perry) added 10. Junior forward Nathan Penley (Willis, MI/Calvary Baptist) and O’Keefe each had nine rebounds for the winners, while junior guard Drew Kidd (Williamsport, MD/Heritage Academy) dished off a game-high six assists.
For Rutgers-Camden, sophomore guard Wayne Smalls (Camden, NJ/Medical Arts) collected 15 points to pass the 500-point plateau for his young career. Smalls, who now has 513 points, added a game-high six steals.
Sophomore forward Antoine Miller (Camden, NJ/Medical Arts) added 14 points, while freshman guard Joshua Askew (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) canned 12.
Senior forward Sydney Francis (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) collected a game-high 11 rebounds for the Raptors, while senior guard Dane Nicholson (Pleasantville, NJ/Holy Spirit) notched seven points to pass the 900-point level for his career. Nicholson now owns 903 points.
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Thursday with a 7 p.m. New Jersey Athletic Conference game at Montclair State University. Baptist Bible plays an 8 p.m. non-conference game Friday at Lancaster Bible College.