Rutgers University
Iona
Rutgers Defeats Iona for Fourth-Straight Win, 66-51
Dec 16 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Four players scored in double figures as the Rutgers men's basketball team (5-5) defeated Iona (0-8), 66-51, on Saturday afternoon at the Louis Brown Athletic Center (RAC).
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Freshman center Hamady N'Diaye is fouled on a shot attempt. |
Sophomore forward JR Inman (Pomona, N.Y.) led the team with 14 points, including 9-of-10 from the free throw line, and classmate Anthony Farmer (Millville, N.J.) chipped in 13 points on a 5-of-9 performance from the field. Farmer also had three steals in the game. Sophomore forward Jaron Griffin (Manchester, N.J.) added 11 points, including two three-pointers, while senior forward Adrian Hill (Canton, Ohio) also scored in double-digits with 10 points. Hill and Inman both pulled down a team-best nine rebounds. In the second half, Hill left the game after aggravating a pre-existing injury and did not return.
Rutgers forced 18 Iona turnovers, scoring 23 points off the Gaels' miscues, including cashing in on 15 points off turnovers in the first half. The Scarlet Knights' defense limited Iona's offensive production as none of the Gaels scored in double figures.
"We put together a more complete game and that's what we are looking for," said first year head coach Fred Hill. "We try to teach our guys how to play hard with toughness, passion and pride, and to play together and work really hard. We tell them all the time that if you do those things then everything else takes care of itself. I'm happy that we have won four games in a row because it's a lot more fun teaching from winning than from losing. They have responded extremely well and we are certainly making strides and getting better and we just have to continue to do that on a daily basis."
RU took an early 7-1 lead after three-pointers from Inman and Farmer in the first three minutes. Inman increased the advantage to eight with 16:19 remaining, as he drove through traffic down the right side of the line and laid it in. The Scarlet Knights led 15-6 with 14:45 to play, following a lay-up from Farmer, but the Gaels outscored RU 7-3 over the next four minutes to cut the lead to five. Iona's Justin Marshall made a lay-up with 10 minutes to go in the half, but the Scarlet Knights answered as Hill converted an old-fashioned three-point play and Nelson scored on a Griffin assist, increasing the lead to nine (23-14).
With under seven minutes on the clock in the opening stanza, Inman went 4-of-4 from the free throw line on back-to-back possessions to keep RU ahead by nine (27-18). Following three points from Anthony Bruin and a triple from Milan Pordanovic, Iona cut the lead to three points, RU's smallest lead since the 18:14 mark. In the final two minutes of the half, senior center Frank Russell (Fayetteville, N.C.) made a lay-up and Farmer hit back-to-back treys to give Rutgers a 36-28 lead at the half.
With 16:01 to play in the game, Inman drove baseline and hit freshman center Hamady N'diaye (Dakar, Senegal) in the key for the dunk, giving the Scarlet Knights a 13-point lead (43-30).
Sophomore guard Courtney Nelson (Newark, N.J.) took the ball to the basket down the left side of the lane, dribbling through traffic to put two more points on the scoreboard for RU with 9:02 to play. Griffin nailed a three from the right baseline with 8:57 to play, giving the Scarlet Knights a 17-point advantage, their biggest of the game. The two teams traded baskets over the next five minutes, and a jumper from Farmer kept RU ahead by 15 with under three minutes to go.
Griffin hit a jumper from the top of the key with 2:42 left, keeping RU ahead by 17 points and the Scarlet Knights went 5-of-6 from the free-throw line in the final two minutes to close out the game.
The Scarlet Knights will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 23, when they host Lehigh at 7:30 p.m. at the Louis Brown Athletic Center (RAC).
POSTGAME NOTES
EXTENDING THE STREAK
With Saturday's 66-51 win over Iona, Rutgers extended its winning streak to four games and evened its record at 5-5, while the Gaels dropped to 0-8 on the season. The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first half and never trailed in the game. Rutgers has not fallen behind in three-straight games, and has not trailed since the team's 73-72 deficit with 57 seconds remaining against Nebraska on Dec. 2, a game the Scarlet Knights eventually went on to win, 75-73.
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
Four Scarlet Knights scored in double-figures to account for 48 of the team's 66 total points.
FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA FT-FTA TP
Adrian Hill 4-5 0-0 2-4 10
Jaron Griffin 4-9 2-5 1-2 11
JR Inman 2-5 1-3 9-10 14
Anthony Farmer 5-9 1-3 2-4 13
SEASON-HIGH FOR FARMER
Sophomore guard Anthony Farmer's 13 pointseclipsed his season-high of 12, which he scored against New Hampshire on Dec. 6. Farmer went 5-of-9 from the field, matching his season-high of five made field goals, while also chipping in three assists and three steals against the Gaels.
GIVING GRIFFIN
Sophomore forward Jaron Griffin's four assistswere a season-high, surpassing his previous mark of three, set against St. Thomas Aquinas on Dec. 6.
KING OF THE HILL
Senior forward Adrian Hill tied a career-high in rebounds with nine, a mark he has now reached in three games during his time as a Scarlet Knight. It took Hill just 15 minutes of play to surpass his season-high of seven, and he tied his career mark just 45 seconds into the second period.
OTHER NOTES
Sophomore forward JR Inman went 9-of-10 from the free throw line to account for nine of his 14 points. The nine free throws made were a season high for Inman, as were his 10 attempts.
FRED HILL QUOTES
On the win:
"I feel good that we won, and I think that the kids feel good that they won. I think that we're definitely making progress."
On the team's performance:
"We put together a more complete game and that's what we are looking for. We try to teach our guys how to play hard with toughness, passion and pride, and to play together and work really hard. We tell them all the time that if you do those things then everything else takes care of itself. I'm happy that we have won four games in a row because it's a lot more fun teaching from winning than from losing. They have responded extremely well and we are certainly making strides and getting better. We just have to continue to do that on a daily basis."
On senior forward Adrian Hill:
"Adrian [Hill] has done a phenomenal job this year from start to finish. After the last two years that he's had, injury-wise and not being on the floor he has really developed into a leader. He's got senior toughness that you hope seniors have for you; he's been great in the locker room and great off the court. And certainly, he's has been giving us quality minutes on the floor."
On the defensive play:
"Defensively, I thought that we did a very good job, especially to start the game. We got out to a 13-1 lead before we made any substitutions and I thought that we really set the tone on the defensive end."
On the team's offensive production:
"Our shooting has improved, and we are much more confident in shooting the basketball. I think that winning helps that and having success helps that. I think that's the biggest improvement but I don't know why that happens. It's like a hitter in baseball who knows when you go on a hot streak it can disappear the next day also. You just have to keep working at it, keep doing everything in practice, keep getting extra shots up and keep executing your offense. As long as they keep getting good looks and good shots, which we have been dong all year long, you have to hope that you are going to make more than you miss and then you have to be solid on the defensive end."
