CAMDEN, N.J. - The Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team opened the winter campaign with a thrilling 71-69 road win over the Scarlet Raptors of Rutgers-Camden University Tuesday evening inside the Rutgers-Camden Athletic and Fitness Center. 

Albertus was led offensively by Davon Warner (New Haven, Conn.) and Justice Washington (Hamden, Conn.) as the duo finished with 16 points apiece, while Terry Dawkins (Bronx, N.Y.) tallied 13 of his own. Senior Tyreek Perkins (New Haven, Conn.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points.

THE BASICS
Final: Albertus Magnus 71 | Rutgers-Camden 69
Records: Albertus Magnus (1-0) | Rutgers-Camden (0-3)
Box Score

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Falcons burst out of the gate early, starting the game off with an 8-2 run behind four different scorers. Shortly after, the Scarlet Raptors broke its scoreless drought on a made jump shot from Jaulin Keels, before Perkins nailed a long shot from behind the arc to increase the Falcons' advantage to 11-4 with 16:29 on the clock.

Over the next seven minutes of play, both teams traded baskets, including five points from Dawkins, with the Falcons taking a 20-14 lead. The Scarlet Raptors continued to chip away at the single-digit deficit until a 5-2 run brought the hosts to within two, 26-24, with just under five minutes on the clock.

With the clock ticking down, both teams battled through two ties until a trey from Warner increased the Albertus lead to four, 33-29, with 1:29 on the clock. Despite the hosts battling to within two twice, Albertus would head into the break clinging to a 37-33 lead.

Albertus opened the second half pushing its lead to seven, 42-35, behind two points from Qualon Wilkes (Bridgeport, Conn.) and three from Warner. The Scarlet Raptors responded with a quick 5-2 run to pull within four, 42-38, at the 17:42 mark. Albertus maintained a four-point lead until a Scarlet Raptors jumper cut the deficit to two with 15 minutes left in regulation. 

Albertus answered back with a 4-0 run to increase their advantage to six, 48-42 on the strength of a pair of Warner free throws and a Rob Tindley (Lawnside, N.J.) lay-up. The Raptors retaliated with a 5-2 run to come within three, 50-47, but Albertus remained in control and extended its lead to seven, 54-47, heading into the final 11 minutes of play. 

The Raptors were not deterred, going on a 5-0 run to close the gap and come within two, 54-52. However, Washington was having none of that, as the junior forward went on a 4-0 push of his own to push the visitors lead back to six, 58-52. The teams went back-and-forth with five points apiece until the six-minute mark, before the Raptors went on a 7-1 run to knot the score at 64-all with four minutes left in regulation. 

The Raptors continued to apply pressure, with Tavian Alford draining a 3-point shot and a free throw to give the Raptors the 68-64 lead. Washington went on his own three-point run to cut the deficit to one, 68-67, with 2.30 to play.

With 43 seconds on the clock, the teams traded free throws in the last minute to tie the game at 69-all. With the clock ticking down to its final seconds, the Falcons offense went on a final push. A Dawkins rebound was quickly fed to Washington, who promptly laid it into the net for the score with less than 10 seconds remaining on the clock. The Falcons defense proved to be too much for the Scarlet Raptors, who were unable to complete the comeback and fell to the Falcons on their home court by a final score of 71-69.           

TEAM STATS

• Albertus - 40.4% FG | 20.0% 3PT | 70.0% FT
• Rutgers-Camden - 40.4% FG | 33.3%3PT | 61.8%FT

PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Albertus:

• Terry Dawkins - 13 points (5-8 FG, 3-5 FT) | 9 rebounds | 1 assist 
• Justice Washington - 16 points (6-8 FG, 4-8 FT) | 7 rebounds | 1 block | 1 steal
• Davon Warner - 16 points (5-17 FG, 2-10 3PT, 4-5 FT) | 2 rebounds
• Tyreek Perkins - 11 points (2-8 FG, 1-3 3PT, 6-6 FT) | 8 rebounds | 2 assists | 1 steal | 1 block

Rutgers-Camden:

• Tristan Cornish - 10 points (4-9 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-2 FT) | 4 rebounds | 1 assist | 1 steal
• Gavin Henry - 16 points (5-13 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-2 FT) | 2 rebounds | 1 assist | 2 steals

NOTEWORTHY

• This is the first meeting between the two programs. 
• Washington had a career-high 16 points in tonight's contest. 
• Mekhi Warren (New Haven, Conn.), Eric Burgos (Manchester, Conn.), and Kevin Crawford (Bridgeport, Conn.) made their first collegiate appearances for the Falcons.
• Warren scored his first career points in tonight's game.  

UP NEXT
The men's basketball team returns to the court on Tuesday, Nov. 23 as the Falcons host Keene State for their home opener. Tip-off is set for 7 PM in New Haven, CT.