PRINCETON, N.J. - Sophomore forward J.R. Inman had 12 points and 13 rebounds and the Rutgers basketball team held off a late Princeton rally to take a 53-47 victory on Saturday at Jadwin Gym, for its third consecutive win.
"We've talked to JR about doing other things when he doesn't score. Tonight, he was very efficient. He gets 12 points and 13 big rebounds. He's got to grow into his role, because we're asking a lot of him," said Rutgers coach Fred Hill. "We're asking him to be a big time go-to guy on offense, and it's not always going to be there, so now we say 'be a big time player and make the plays to win games for your teammates,' and I think tonight that it was evident that did a very good job of doing just that."
Jaron Griffin added 11 points for Rutgers (4-5), which beat Princeton (6-3) for the seventh time in their last eight meetings. Edwin Buffmire led the Tigers with 12 points.
Rutgers, which never trailed, took control of the game early on thanks to some hot shooting, hitting 87.5 percent from the field in the initial stanza. The Scarlet Knights were 14-for-16 from the floor in the first half, finishing with eight baskets in a row to lead 31-19 at halftime.
"Someone asked me if I would frame a box score after a game -- well, I might frame the first half box score. It's not very often that you shoot 87.5 per cent," said Hill. "I talked on the pre-game (radio show) what I was impressed with, the Princeton defense. No one ever talks about that. Everyone talks about the Princeton style, and certainly they have pretty unique and tough offensive style. It's tough for people to guard.
"But they play one of the best matchup zones, and they have for years. People didn't talk so much about that when (long-time Princeton coach) Pete (Carril) was here, it was always offense. But I just think they do a terrific job," Hill continued. "I walked in (the lockerroom) at halftime and saw what the shooting percentage was and I just said wow.
"I give our kids a lot of credit for getting good looks, open looks, and they went down. When they go down, everything looks great," Hill said. "I thought our defense was what really separated us in the first half. They only shot 29 percent, and that's a 'wow.' That's a team that's a much better shooting team than that. To hold them to 29 percent and no threes, I was extremely proud of our defensive effort in the first half."
The Scarlet Knights stretched their lead to 41-25 early in the second half, but Princeton rallied late and cut the lead to 50-45 with 50.3 seconds left to play. Marquis Webb made two free throws and Anthony Farmer hit one from the charity stripe to secure the win for the 4-5 Scarlet Knights. Princeton had won six of its seven previous games before Saturday's game with Rutgers.
"I think as you grow, and we talk about going through the process, we talk about 'you're not always going to shoot the ball well.' You have to make big plays, and I thought we made big plays to win the game, not big shots, but big plays," Hill noted. "Your shots aren't always going to drop for you, but if you make big plays, and hold on to win ball games - you've got to learn how to win. And I think that's what we're in the process of trying to do, is to learn how to win when we don't shoot well, and try to make big plays."
Overall, Rutgers shot 58 percent from the floor, while Princeton hit just 37 percent. They also out rebounded the Tigers, 30-17, including a 22-10 advantage in the second half.
"Our goal from day one was that '? we have a certain way we want to play. We knew that we would have to continually grow, and I do see growth, and I'm happy for that. And I'm happy for them that they can feel good about themselves, because you always feel a lot better when you when then when you lose," said Hill. "I think they feel good because they've worked so hard and now they've been rewarded for that hard work they've put in each and every day."
POSTGAME NOTES
WITH THE WIN'?
Rutgers earned its third-consecutive win of the season with a 53-47 victory against Princeton. The Scarlet Knights have won eight out of the last 10 meetings, including four of the last match-ups at Princeton.
INMAN GRABS CAREER HIGH REBOUNDS
Sophomore forward JR Inman set a career high with 13 rebounds in the win against Princeton, topping his previous career-best mark of 10, which he established on Nov. 25, 2006, against Kent State.
Inman also scored in double figures for the eighth time in nine games with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor.
HOT FIRST-HALF SHOOTING
In the 53-47 win against Princeton, the Scarlet Knights shot 87.5 percent (14-16) from the floor. It marked the highest shooting percentage in a half for Rutgers since Nov. 22, 2005, when RU shot 76.9 percent (10-13) in the first half in a 49-42 win over Delaware State.
