VILLANOVA, Pa. - Freshman guard Mike Rosario (Jersey City, N.J.) scored a team-high 19 points as Rutgers lost 82-72 to No. 12/14 Villanova Thursday night at The Pavilion. The Scarlet Knights battled tough throughout before a late 22-5 Villanova run in the second half helped propel the Wildcats to their 27th consecutive victory at The Pavilion.
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| Anthony Farmer's 17 points marked his 10th double digit scoring game this season. (Greg Carroccio) |
The Scarlet Knights (10-16, 1-12 BIG EAST) used the three-ball in the second half as senior
Jaron Griffin (Manchester, N.J.) drilled three, three-point field goals. His third triple gave the Scarlet Knights a 54-52 lead, their first lead since the 9:43 mark in the first half.
After a jumper by sophomore guard Mike Coburn (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) put the Scarlet Knights ahead 56-54, the host Wildcats (21-5, 9-4 BIG EAST) responded with a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach.
Senior guard Anthony Farmer (Millville, N.J.) tallied 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep. Rutgers drained 10 three-pointers on the night and shot 45.5 percent from long distance. The Scarlet Knights had three players in double-figures and shot 52.1 percent for the game (25-of-48).
Sophomore guard Corey Chandler (Newark, N.J.) chipped in with 13 points off the bench for Rutgers. In all, Chandler, Rosario and Farmer combined for 49 points.
The first half featured nine lead changes and three ties as the host Wildcats held a 37-31 lead at the break. Rosario paced Rutgers with 12 points in the opening 20 minutes on 5-of-8 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers. Rutgers shot 46.2% in the first half and limited Villanova to 12 field goals in 30 attempts (40%).
Villanova took advantage of eight RU personal fouls in the first half as the Wildcats shot 11-of-13 from the charity stripe while RU was just 3-of-5 from the foul line.
Rutgers returns to the hardwood Sunday at home vs. West Virginia. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. with live television coverage in the New York metropolitan area on SNY.
Rutgers Post-Game Notes
- Rutgers shot 52.1 percent (25-48) from the field, marking the fourth time this season it has shot 50 percent or better in a game.
- RU shot 45.4 percent (10-22) beyond the arc, its third best percentage from three-point land this season, behind 46.7 percent (7-15) versus NJIT and 46.2 percent (6-13) at Georgetown.
- The Scarlet Knights dished-out 15 assists, its third most in a BIG EAST game this season, behind 17 versus DePaul and 16 against Louisville.
- Rutgers shot 85.7 percent (12-14) from the free throw line, marking the ninth time this season it has shot 80 percent or better from the charity stripe.
- Mike Rosario scored 19 points to lead Rutgers in scoring for the 17th time this season. He has posted double figures in 23 of 26 games and is averaging 19.3 points-per-game against ranked teams this season. He set a career-high with five assists versus the Wildcats and was 2-2 from the free throw line to improve his BIG EAST leading percentage from the charity stripe to 87.2 (68-78). He also had six rebounds, one shy of his career-best.
- Anthony Farmer scored 17 points to give him 1,044 for his career, moving him past JR Inman (1,040) into 33rd place on the RU career scoring chart. The output marked Farmer's 10th double digit scoring game this season and the 47th of his career.
- Corey Chandler scored 13 points, his eighth double digit scoring game this season and the 26th of his career.
- Rutgers wore black uniforms for the first time under head coach Fred Hill. It marked the first time that any current player took to the hardwood in black.
