PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Sophomore forward JR Inman's (Pomona, N.Y.) put-back with 18 seconds remaining in the game lifted the Rutgers men's basketball team (2-5, 0-0 BIG EAST) to a 75-73 win over Nebraska (5-1) on Saturday at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
"We're getting better, we're learning, we're growing," said first-year head coach Fred Hill. "We said it's going to be a process. I just think that these kids have worked so hard that they deserved and earned what they got today."
Inman scored the winning basket after Marquis Webb (Paterson, N.J.) got a good look from behind the three-point arc on the left baseline, but missed with 26 seconds remaining. Inman grabbed the offensive rebound and converted the follow to give the Scarlet Knights a 74-73 lead. After a Nebraska miss, Webb was fouled with nine-tenths of a second remaining and connected on 1-of-2 free throws to push Rutgers the two-point victory.
Sophomore forward Jaron Griffin (Manchester, N.J.) led the Scarlet Knights with a career-high 16 points, shooting 4-of-5 from behind the three-point arc, tying a career-high for three-point field goals made. Senior forward Frank Russell (Fayetteville, N.C.) also enjoyed a career day, coming off the bench to register career-bests in points (11) and rebounds (10). Senior guard Marquis Webb (Paterson, N.J.) and Inman also scored in double-digits, as Webb scored 13 points and Inman chipped in 12 points.
The Scarlet Knights went into halftime with a 35-30 lead, due in large-part to a 13-point first-half effort from Griffin who went 3-of-3 from behind the three-point arc. Coming off the bench, Russell scored seven points and added seven rebounds in just 14 minutes of action.
With the score tied at 10 with 14:11 to play in the half, Rutgers went on a 9-2 run, including seven points by Griffin. Nebraska cut the lead to two with 9:10 remaining on two free throws from Aleks Maric, but two-straight baskets from Russell followed by an Anthony Farmer (Millville, N.J.) three-pointer put Rutgers back up by seven (29-22), its biggest lead of the game.
The Cornhuskers took the lead with 1:45 remaining as Marcus Perry nailed a three-pointer to cap an eight-point unanswered Nebraska run. On Rutgers' next possession, Webb drew a foul and gave the Scarlet Knights a 31-30 lead with 1:05 remaining in the half. In the final minute, despite foul trouble inside, the Scarlet Knights got two-consecutive baskets from junior forward Ollie Bailey (Chicago, Ill.) and Russell.
Nebraska scored five-straight points to open the second stanza, erasing the Rutgers half-time lead. With 9:53 to go, Penry hit a three-pointer to give Nebraska a 53-50 advantage. Griffin answered for the Knights, hitting his fourth three-pointer of the game and tying the game for the fifth time. The teams combined to drill five consecutive triples over the next three minutes. A trey from Inman on the far side with 7:03 to play knotted the score at 59-59.
With the Scarlet Knights trailing 73-69 with 1:14 remaining, Webb drove down the right side of the lane, converting an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the Cornhuskers lead to one with 57 seconds remaining. On Nebraska's next possession, Inman came up with a steal at mid-court, setting up Rutgers' final possession and keying the win.
The Scarlet Knights will be back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 6, when they host New Hampshire at 7:30 p.m. at the Louis Brown Athletic Center (RAC).
POSTGAME NOTES
WITH THE WIN
With the 75-73 win over Nebraska, the Scarlet Knights snapped a four-game losing streak, and improved to 6-3 all-time against Big 12 opponents. Rutgers also handed the Cornhuskers their first loss of the season and are 2-0 all-time against the Huskers (W 81-62, Nov. 28, 1999).
CAREER DAY
Center Frank Russell posted his best game as a Scarlet Knight in the win against Nebraska. The senior recorded his first career double-double, establishing a career-high at Rutgers in points (11) and rebounds (10) against the Cornhuskers.
The 11 points topped Russell's previous Rutgers high of nine, which he scored last season against St. John's (3/5/06). It was also his season-high scoring output, surpassing his previous high of four, which he scored against St. Thomas Aquinas on Nov. 19.
In addition, Russell's 10 rebounds were the most in his collegiate career, eclipsing his previous career-high of seven, which he posted while at Hampton (12/29/03).
OTHER CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Forward Jaron Griffin set a career-high in points, finishing with 16 to break his old mark of 13, which he scored twice against St. Thomas Aquinas (12/12/05, 11/19/06). The sophomore also set a career-high in three-pointers made, as he was 4-of-5 from the beyond the arc.
Sophomore guard Courtney Nelson set a career high with five assists against Nebraska. He also tied his career-high for three-pointers made with three.
INMAN ON FIRE
Sophomore forward JR Inman extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to seven with his 12-point performance against Nebraska. Inman has reached double-figures in each of the Scarlet Knights' seven games this season. The current streak is a career-high for Inman, who scored 10 or more points in three straight games on two occasions and only once scored in double digits in four consecutive games.
THE STREAK COMES TO AN END
Senior guard Marquis Webb's streak of consecutive free throws made came to an end at 17, as he went 4-of-5 from the line. Webb entered the game having made 14 consecutive free throws, and extended the streak to 17 with three successful attempts, but a miss late in the second period snapped the streak, which dated back to last season when he connected on a pair against Penn State (3/14/06) in the opening round of last season's NIT.
WORKING TOGETHER
The Scarlet Knights finished with season-highs in both field goal and three-point percentage. The team shot 63.6 percent from the floor, and 55.6 percent from beyond the arc, topping RU's previous season highs of 51.7 and 38.5 percent, respectively.
THREE-POINT PROWESS
The Scarlet Knights connected on 10 three-pointers in the game, setting a new season-high. RU's previous high of six came against Jackson State (11/21/06).
