Rutgers University
Colgate
Rutgers Defeats Colgate, 76-67, at the RAC
Dec 06 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Sophomore center Gregory Echenique (Guatire, Venezuela) scored 19 points and freshman forward Dane Miller (Henrietta, N.Y.) added 15 points to help Rutgers (5-2) to a 76-67 win over Colgate (0-8) Sunday afternoon at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. Sophomore guard Mike Rosario (Jersey City, N.J.), playing in a reserve role due to a bruised shin, added 14 to lead the Scarlet Knights to a 33-12 advantage in bench points.
Miller added eight rebounds to set career highs in both boards and points, while also swatting a career-best three blocks.
“I just think Dane is growing and growing,” said head coach Fred Hill. “He’s got a lot of talent…it is a lot of fun to watch him grow every single day into the player he has been for us the last few games. He really has done a phenomenal job, especially picking up our defensive concepts. I am really proud of him and I am really happy for him; he has worked very hard at it.”
Echenique, who shot nine-of-10 from the free throw line and five-of-six from the field in 26 minutes, also grabbed eight rebounds. He was spelled by senior co-captain Hamady Ndiaye (Dakar, Senegal), who issued four blocks in 14 minutes as the Scarlet Knight accumulated nine rejections on the afternoon.
“Those two guys inside are two big guys to contend with, and we don’t have good size,” said Colgate head coach Emmett Davis. “They did a good job of attacking us on the inside.”
Rutgers jumped-out to an early 11-5 lead, but the Raiders went on an 11-0 run to take a 16-11 advantage at the 9:28 mark of the first half. With the home squad struggling to deposit its shots, Colgate maintained a slim lead before taking a 35-30 advantage into the locker room at the midpoint.
The Scarlet Knights took the floor in the second half with purpose and scored eight of the stanza’s initial 10 points. Then, with the game tied at 40-40, Rutgers made its move. RU went on a 14-2 run, capped by a Miller tip-in, and never again relinquished the lead or the momentum. The Scarlet Knights built their advantage to 14 points with under a minute to play, before Colgate posted the contest’s final six points to register the 76-67 final score.
Rutgers returns to the hardwood this Wednesday (Dec. 9) to host state foe Monmouth at the RAC in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Three Scarlet Knights scored in double digits for the fifth time this season with Gregory Echenique (19), Dane Miller (15) and Mike Rosario (14) all scoring 10-plus.
- Echenique’s 19 points marks the 19th time in his career and fifth time this season that he has scored in double digits. He led the team in points (19) and rebounds (eight) for the second straight night and for the third time this season. He has led the Scarlet Knights in points seven times and in boards 26 times during his career.
- Echenique started the season 3-12 (.250) from the free throw line but has made 29 of 32 (.906) since, including a 9-for-11 performance against Colgate.
- Miller set career highs in points (15), rebounds (eight), blocks (three) and minutes played (28).
- Rosario’s 14 points marks the 33rd time in his 39 career games that he has scored in double digits, including six games this season. He did not start due to a bruised shin. It marked the first time he has scored in double figures in a non-starting role.
- Hamady Ndiaye’s four blocks marks the 40th time in his 99 career games that he has swatted three-plus rejections, including all seven games this season. He has 30 blocks in 109 minutes of play this season. He entered the Colgate game leading the BIG EAST in blocks and blocks per game. Ndiaye also entered the game ranked third nationally in blocks and career blocks.
- Rutgers’ 30 points off the bench is a season high.
- Jonathan Mitchell’s seven rebounds tied his career high.
- James Beatty grabbed a career-high four rebounds in a career-high 26 minutes played. He also made his first RU start.
- Mike Coburn’s six assists marks the seventh time in his career, including four games this season, which he has dished out five or more assists.
- The win against Colgate improves Rutgers all-time record against Patriot League teams to 202-142. RU owns a 22-15 all-time mark over Colgate.
RUTGERS HEAD COACH FRED HILL
On Colgate’s first half advantage in points in the paint, en route to a halftime lead:
“They just did a good job of driving and creating. It has nothing to do with size. If a guy rotates and a guy steps up there’s going to be guys open. They also got some offensive rebounds, which is something we need to work on.”
On Mike Rosario, who did not start because of a bruised shin but contributed 14 points off the bench:
“I would have preferred to sit Mike the whole game. He bruised his shin in the last game. He missed one day of practice and it was a quick turnaround. I would have liked to have gotten Mo (Muhamed Hasani) more minutes. Obviously it was an opportunity for JB (James Beatty) to get some extended minutes and Mike Coburn as well. We would have liked to have kept him out the whole game but we told him to be ready if we needed him and obviously we were much better with him on the floor.”
On the performance of freshman wing Dane Miller:
“I just think Dane is growing and growing. He’s got a lot of talent, as you can see. What I marvel at is that four weeks ago he was a young man with a whole bunch of talent but who was not really ready to step on the floor and understand all of our concepts - defensively and offensively. He came in religiously every day to watch film, he pays attention, he has a very good basketball IQ and it is a lot of fun to watch him grow every single day into the player he has been for us the last few games. He really has done a phenomenal job, especially picking up our defensive concepts. I am really proud of him and I am really happy for him; he has worked very hard at it.”
On his team’s depth at the wing position:
“That is the luxury I have at that position. I can go with whoever has been playing better (Miller or Patrick Jackson). It doesn’t matter who starts and who comes off the bench. If you look at minutes and you come off the bench and play 28 minutes, those are starter minutes. It’s about having an attitude that I’m going to come off the bench and be terrific. I’m going to lift my teammates. I’m going to do what I’m supposed to do. I think that was Dane Miller today.”
COLGATE HEAD COACH EMMETT DAVIS:
Game thoughts:
“I thought that the game was a little strange from the get go with Mike Rosario not being in the lineup for nearly the first half of the game. When he finally came into the game he gave them some energy. I thought that we played well in the first half. We were able to force Rutgers to take some shots that they didn’t want to take.
“In the second half I felt that our execution wasn’t very good, and Rutgers did a good job of penetrating and dropping the ball off to different people. Rutgers was more patient and they executed better in the second half.”
On the play of Gregory and Hamady Ndiaye:
“Those two guys inside are two big guys to contend with, and we don’t have good size. They did a good job of attacking us on the inside.”
On the Rutgers’ defense against Kyle Roemer in the second half:
“They mixed their defenses early, and we didn’t do a great job of screening in the second half. I thought that we screened really well in the first half and in the second half we didn’t. Kyle wasn’t getting the same kind of looks in the second half.”
