Newark, NJ – Stockton University (20-4, 14-3 NJAC) battled a tough Rutgers Newark (15-8, 12-5) squad and came away with a 61-58 win on Saturday night. DJ Campbell (Vineland/Vineland) led four Ospreys in double figures with 17 points and the win clinches the number one seed for Stockton in the upcoming NJAC Tournament.
 
Stockton took off leading 7-3 early on the strength of six points by Jonathan Azoroh (Ewing/Ewing), before the home team rallied. The Scarlet Raiders took a slim 15-13 lead at the 10:51 mark, forcing the Ospreys into a timeout.
 
From there, Stockton rattled off 16 of the next 20 markers to forge a 28-19 margin. Five points each by Campbell and Kadian Dawkins (Eastampton/Rancocas[JL1]  Valley), with four more from Azoroh, gave the Ospreys the advantage.
 
The home team battled back but Stockton was able to hold a 31-25 lead going into the half. Azoroh scored 11 points on 5-7 shooting, with Campbell and Dawkins adding eight and seven points, respectively.
 
The Scarlet Raiders rode the hot shooting of Abe Kromah in the second half, as he scored the first 10 markers for the home team, including the first five cutting the lead to 32-30 at 17:48.
 
The Ospreys were able to scratch out the margin to 59-49, but the Raiders would not relent. Kromah scored a four-point play with 2:36 remaining in regulation and the game stayed there until Quincy Rutherford nailed a three ball to slice the margin to 61-58 with 17 seconds left.
 
Rutgers-Newark had one last opportunity to knot the game, but Stockton's defense tightened and did not allow the Scarlet Raiders to get a shot attempt over the final 17 seconds and came away with the 61-58 victory.
 
The Osprey defense was solid all evening, forcing 16 turnovers that led to 19 points.
 
Azoroh added 13 points and tied Kyion Flanders (Wildwood/Wildwood) with eight rebounds. Flanders added 12 points with 10 coming in the second half. Dawkins chipped in with 10 markers and dished four assists.
 
Kromah led the Scarlet Raiders with a game-high 19 points, 17 coming in the second half, and had four assists. Rutherford added 14 points, with Dante Ralph and Jamir Patterson pulling down seven rebounds each.
 
Stockton will finish the regular season with a trip to Jersey City on Wednesday night. The Ospreys will take on New Jersey City with game time scheduled for 8 pm.

 [JL1]