GLASSBORO, NJ – Austin Kearney scored 16 points and Jonathan Hevalow had a career-high 15 to lead Rowan (3-1; 1-0 NJAC) to an 81-69 win over Rutgers-Camden (3-2; 0-1) in the NJAC men's basketball opener at Esby Gym.
 
Kearney connected on 7-of-9 from the field, while Hevalow shot 5-for-9, with three three-pointers. Connor Dickerson had the first double-double of his career with 14 points and a personal-best 10 rebounds to lead the Profs.
 
Arian Azemi scored a game-high 29 points for Rutgers-Camden, with 21 in the second half.
 
Rowan never trailed in the game although Rutgers-Camden came within two points a few times, including 52-50 at 13:40 of the second half. Six straight by the Profs built the lead back up to 58-50 and was part of a bigger 11-2 run that pushed Rowan's margin to 63-52 with 7:26 remaining.
 
Rutgers' Terrance Harris connected on a three at 6:13 to pull the visitors within 63-57, but Jerry Price tallied five points in an 11-0 Rowan run that broke the game open, giving the Profs a 74-57 advantage with 3:44 left.
 
Rowan led by as much as 22-10 in the first half before Rutgers-Camden closed within 25-23 on a basket by Azemi at 7:47. Rowan held a 43-36 lead at halftime although the Scarlet Raptors shot 53.6 percent in the first half.
 
The Profs held Rutgers-Camden to 39.4 percent (13-for-33) from the field in the second half and just a 4-of-15 effort from three-point range.
 
Rowan returns to action after the holiday, visiting TCNJ on December 4.