Wright went 5-for-8 from three-point range and added three steals and two assists, as the Cougars (12-7 overall and 3-4 in the NJAC) snapped a two-game losing streak. The Scarlet Raptors fell to 5-13 overall and 1-6 in the NJAC.
The Cougars led from the opening tip, as they raced out to an 11-0 lead just 2:49 into contest behind five points from senior forward Bryan Keller (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) and four points from Wright. The Scarlet Raptors cut the deficit to one point at 22-21 on a three-pointer by senior guard Dane Nicholson (Pleasantville, NJ/Holy Spirit) with just under 10 minutes left in the opening half. Kean answered back and scored 17 straight points and closed the half on a 20-4 run to take a 42-25 lead into halftime.
Wright led the Cougars with 18 first-half points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field, while Nicholson paced Rutgers-Camden with 11 points and two steals in the opening stanza.
In the second half, the Scarlet Raptors could only pull within 14 points at 44-30 with 17:45 remaining, as the Cougars led by double-digits throughout the final half on their way to the 31-point victory.
As a team, Kean recorded 23 assists on the team’s 31 field goals and outrebounded the Scarlet Raptors, 50-36. Keller, senior forward Brett Wyatt (Elizabeth, NJ/St. Mary’s) and senior guard Bryan Miller (Trenton, NJ/Trenton Central) each dished out five assists, while Keller added 14 points in the victory. Miller finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Wyatt added eight points and nine rebounds.
For Rutgers-Camden, Nicholson notched 18 points and added five rebounds and two steals. His two steals broke a second-place tie with Gene Mergenthal (2000-04) on the all-time list and gave him 152 for his career. He is five shy of the program mark set by Marvin Young from 1977-81. The 18 points also raised his career total to 1,045. He is eight points shy of tying Phil Larsen (1953-57) and Keith Harris (1963-67) for 11th place on the career list.
Senior guard Sydney Francis (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) added a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors.
Both teams return to NJAC action Saturday. Kean plays a 1 p.m. game at William Paterson University, while Rutgers-Camden hosts Ramapo College at 3 p.m.