Montclair, NJ – Arian Azemi led all scorers with 35 points to send Rutgers University-Camden past Montclair State 89-77 in New Jersey Athletic Conference play Wednesday evening.

Rutgers Camden (5-9, 2-6 NJAC) won inside the Panzer Athletic Center for the first time since January 28, 2004, a span of 16 games. Montclair (8-7, 6-2 NJAC) was led by 31 points from senior AKBAR HOFFMAN and 11 off the bench from classmate JUSTIN PORTER.

A three-pointer 3:57 into the game pushed the Rutgers-Camden lead to 11-5 before an Issac Destin layup at the 11:42 mark extended the advantage to double-digits. A jumper by senior NATE NAHIRNY trimmed the deficit down to five, and three minutes later, Hoffman canned a triple to shrink the margin to four at 29-25. Montclair scored five of the final seven markers of the period and entered half time trailing by just eight points.

The Scarlet Raptors shot 66.7% (20-of-30) from the field in the opening 20 minutes while MSU was limited to just 46.7% (14-of-30). Both sides were only able to hit three three-pointers each in the first half.

The lead once again swelled to double-digits before Hoffman knocked down three-pointers on consecutive possessions to get the team within four. With 14:48 left, Porter found a cutting EDDIE EMEDOH for a layup, making the game a single possession affair. The Scarlet Raptors were able to widen the gap back to 11, as Azemi capped off a 7-3 rally with a triple.

Rutgers-Camden was able to match what MSU was doing, keeping the score at bay for most of the later stages of the second stanza. Porter finished off a small 5-0 run with a dunk to get MSU within seven, and Montclair was unable to pull any closer than seven the rest of the way.

The Scarlet Raptors shot 60.7% (34-of-56) from the field for the game, marking a season-high for an opponent this year. MSU held a small 34-32 edge in rebounds, thanks to a team-best six from STEVE BREEMAN. Destin posted a double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds, with Keysean Simmons chipping in 10 points.

The Red Hawks hit the road on Saturday, taking on Stockton University at 1:00 p.m. The Ospreys have won two of the last three meetings, with neither side winning by more than eight points.