PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Junior forward JR Inman (Pomona, N.Y.) posted his second double-digit game against Princeton in as many years, totaling 16 points to lead the Scarlet Knights to a 54-50 comeback win over the Tigers Saturday afternoon at the RAC. RU improves to 5-2 and a perfect 5-0 at home with the victory, while Princeton drops to 2-5.
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Hamady Ndiaye pulled down eight rebounds and blocked three shots. (Photo by Tom Ciszek/NJSportsPhoto) |
"I thought we were able to execute our game plan better in the second half," said head coach
Fred Hill. "There were a lot of freshmen out there and we're playing Princeton. They play a very unique style of basketball in which you need great discipline to be able to defend them. Offensively, I thought JR was very efficient. He did a great job of passing the ball and finding guys that were open. He did more than just make shots, he made plays."
Princeton used the three-point shot to build its lead in the first half, with five different players connecting on at least one three-pointer. The Tigers shot 6-of-10 from beyond the arc to head into the locker room with a 30-25 halftime lead.
Inman fueled Rutgers' second-half surge by netting the team's first six points of the half. The run pulled the Scarlet Knights back to a 31-31 tie with 16:26 to go in the game, after trailing Princeton by as many as eight in the first. Inman also grabbed eight rebounds on the day and tied his career-high in steals with three.
Junior Jaron Griffin (Manchester, N.J.) joined Inman in double figures, netting 13. For the Tigers, guard Lincoln Gunn led the way with 13 points, followed by forward Noah Savage with nine.
Inman was fouled on a dunk and made the following free throw to convert the three-point play with 12:21 remaining, giving Rutgers a 37-36 advantage, their first lead since early in the opening stanza. Sophomore center Hamady Ndiaye (Dakar, Senegal) came up with a big block on defense and drew a charge the next time down to swing the momentum in the Scarlet Knights' favor.
The Scarlet Knights led by their largest margin of five after a jumper by freshman Mike Coburn (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) at the 5:48 mark. But Princeton came charging back, using a three-pointer from Kyle Koncz and a lay-up by Marcus Schroeder to tie the score again at 48 with 3:09 to play.
With 30 seconds remaining and Rutgers up only two, junior guard Anthony Farmer (Millville, N.J.) forced a Princeton turnover. Freshman Corey Chandler (Newark, N.J.) was fouled on the next play and missed both free throws, but was able to grab the offensive rebound and was sent back to the stripe where he converted both to extend the lead. Farmer chipped in a pair of late free throws to secure the 54-50 win.
The contest was the 114th meeting between the New Jersey rivals, dating back to 1917. The Tigers and Scarlet Knights have faced off in each of last 11 seasons and in all but one since 1945. Princeton holds a 72-42 edge in the all-time series, but Rutgers has won three in a row and eight of the last nine meetings.
The game also marked the first collegiate action seen by freshman Justin Sofman (West Milford, N.J.), who logged 13 minutes in his debut and made a three-pointer on the first shot of his career.
The Scarlet Knights will hit the floor next against Lafayette Wednesday, Dec. 5, at the RAC. The game will be televised live on SNY.
POSTGAME NOTES
NDIAYE POSTS CAREER HIGH MINUTES
With 32 minute against Princeton, sophomore Hamady Ndiaye (Dakar, Senegal) set a career-high in minutes played. His previous high was 26 minutes against North Carolina on Dec. 28, 2006.
NDIAYE A FORCE IN THE PAINT
Ndiaye's eight rebounds tied for the team lead against Princeton. It marked the first time this season and fourth in his career that he has led the team in rebounding in a game. He was also one rebound shy of his career high of nine, which he set against Dartmouth (11/20) earlier this season.
Ndiaye also finished with three blocked shots against the Tigers. It is the fifth time this season and 10th time for his career that he has recorded three or more blocks in a game.
INMAN, GRIFFIN SCORE IN DOUBLE FIGURES
With 16 points against the Tigers, junior JR Inman (Pomona, N.Y.) has scored in double-figures in six of the team's seven games, and 39 games for his career. He has led the team in scoring five times this season and 19 times in his career.
Junior Jaron Griffin (Manchester, N.J.) scored 13 points, marking the fourth time this season and the 20th time in his career he has scored in double-digits.
INMAN MATCHES CAREER HIGH STEALS
With three steals against Princeton, Inman tied his career high. It marked the fourth time in his career that he has collected three steals in a game. The other three occasions came during his freshman season in 2005-06.
FARMER CLUTCH FROM THE STRIPE
With 7.4 seconds left in the game, junior Anthony Farmer (Millville, N.J.) connected on two free throws. He is currently 7-8 from the charity stripe in the final three minutes of a game, leading all Scarlet Knights in that category.
SOFMAN SEES FIRST ACTION
Freshman Justin Sofman (West Milford, N.J.) saw the first playing time of his Scarlet Knight career, entering the game at the 12:57 mark of the first half. Sofman scored his first career points on his first career shot with a three pointer at the 8:09 mark of the first half.
POSTGAME QUOTES
FRED HILL
On the difference between the 1st and 2nd half:
"I thought we were able to execute our game plan better in the second half. There were a lot of freshmen out there and we're playing Princeton. Regardless of how good you are, they play a very unique style of basketball in which you need great discipline to be able to defend them. Our goal was to not give up three point shots. They're very good at getting three point shots and we'd rather have them play one-on-one inside and have to shoot over Hamady (Ndiaye). I thought in the first half the difference in the game was they were 6-10 from three. Give them credit, they made their shots. We made mistakes because of a lack of discipline by some of the freshmen in the game that have never seen their style of play before."
On Hamady Ndiaye's performance:
"He brings great enthusiasm, great energy, and he's a great defensive presence."
"He did a great job for us and he got 32 minutes which was the biggest thing. That's the most minutes he's played in his career."
"He played great tonight for us and he's been doing a good job. He keeps getting better everyday and that's what we've been talking about."
On how to measure the success of the team after this win:
"They have to work hard everyday, play with toughness, have passion and pride, and play together. That's how we will measure our success. I am thrilled that we won but we are still trying to build our program."
On JR Inman:
"He did a great job of passing the ball and finding guys that were open. I thought he played very efficiently. He played as a point/forward making basketball plays, not just making shots."
On the guards:
"Our guards did a great job on not settling for just three point shots because they were going to give them to you. I thought our guards did a great job of attacking gaps and getting the ball back inside. Our game plan was to go inside-out and I thought we did a great job of doing that."
