GLASSBORO, NJ – Arian Azemi scored 41 points and tied the school record for three-pointers in a game by making nine in the first half, as Rowan (3-0) defeated Marymount, 119-108, in men's basketball action. A large and enthusiastic crowd marked the return of the Profs to Esby Gym for the first time since February 19, 2019, as the pandemic canceled the 2020-21 season.
 
Azemi, in his first season with the Profs after transferring from Rutgers-Camden, scored 33 points in the first half as he connected on 9-of-11 three-point field goals. That tied the school record for threes in a game, matching Nick DePersia's effort from January 2019 against Stockton. Azemi shot 10-for-14 in the half and finished the game hitting 13-of-21.
 
Hafeez Melvin scored 13 points and handed out six assists, and Stretch Hawkins scored 12 points off the bench. Rounding out the double-figure scorers for the Profs were Andrew Seager, Ryan O'Leary, D'Andre Vilmar and Marcellus Ross, who all tallied 11 points.
 
The teams traded leads 12 times and Rowan secured it for good with 10:19 left in the second half. After Marymount (1-1) held its biggest lead of the game, 80-72, Rowan used a 10-2 run with four points from Ross, to tie the score, 82-82 on a layup by Azemi. The Profs continued to outscore the Saints, 9-2, to take a 91-84 lead with 8:21 to play.
 
Rowan earned a double-digit lead in the last few minutes with the final margin being its biggest of the game.
 
The first half was a high-scoring affair as the Profs held a 66-62 lead at intermission, with Azemi accounting for half of Rowan's points, while the team shot 51.1 percent from the field.
 
It was Rowan's third game of the season and the third in which the Profs surpassed the 100-point mark, with this game's total being the highest of the year so far.
 
The Profs open the NJAC season on Tuesday, November 23, when they travel to TCNJ.