NEWARK, N.J. – Sophomore wing Dane Miller (Rochester, N.Y.) and freshman forward Gilvydas Biruta (Jonava, Lithuania) both had double-doubles to help Rutgers (12-7, 3-4) to a 66-60 BIG EAST win at rival Seton Hall (8-11, 2-5) Saturday afternoon at the Prudential Center. Miller had 17 points with 10 rebounds, while Biruta posted 12 points and 11 boards, as the Scarlet Knights led for over 36 minutes of the contest’s 40 minutes.

“It was a complete team effort, whether it was our team rebounding or Dane’s defense,” said Rutgers head coach Mike Rice. “Nobody played a perfect game, but we found a way to play for one another and come away with a great road victory in the BIG EAST.”

Miller, who played a tenacious defense on Seton Hall’s Jeremy Hazell, shot seven-of-13 with three blocks. His offense was supplemented by senior forward Jonathan Mitchell (Mount Vernon, N.Y.), who shot five-of-eight to score 14 points with nine rebounds.

The Scarlet Knights made 47.2 percent (25-53) of their field goal attempts, while limiting SHU to 33.8 percent (23-68) shooting. RU also out-rebounded the larger Pirates by a 44-38 margin en route to a 13-7 advantage in second chance points.

The Pirates scored the contest’s first points before the Scarlet Knights responded with a 5-0 run to take a lead it would not again relinquish. Rutgers built its advantage to as many as 14 points (29-15), before Seton Hall posted the opening half’s final five points to reduce the gap to single digits. RU entered the locker room at the midpoint with a 31-23 lead.

The Scarlet Knights began the second half with a 5-0 run and consistently answered the persistent Pirates. SHU was able to get its deficit to four points with 7:38 (45-41) remaining and with 56 seconds to go (62-58) as RU struggled from the free throw line, but would get no closer. The final three from the charity stripe off RU hands, however, entered the cylinder and the Scarlet Knights earned their first league road win of the season while snapping a four game skid against SHU.

“There’s a belief in our locker room,” added Rice. “Bad things can happen and our team is still together. We have that toughness.”

Rutgers returns to hardwood at Cincinnati this Wednesday (Jan. 26) in a 9 p.m. (ET) tip-off. The game will be televised live on SNY and in the Philadelphia market on The Comcast Network.

Postgame Notes

•  The win gives Rutgers its best conference record through seven games since 2005-06 when it posted a 3-4 mark.
•  With the win, RU wins its earliest conference road game since Jan.7, 2007 when the Scarlet Knights beat Cincinnati in their second road matchup of the year.
•  The Scarlet Knights move to 25-33 all time against the Pirates, including 2-2 at the Prudential Center and 5-18 on the road. The win snaps a four-game losing streak to the Pirates. 
•   For the sixth time this season, the Scarlet Knights held their opponents to under 34 percent shooting, as the Pirates went 23-for-68 (33.8) from the field.
•   Dane Miller posted his third double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. It marked the second time this season the sophomore has led the team in scoring and first since Auburn. 
•  The Scarlet Knights move to 10-0 when holding opponents to 65 points or less.
•   For the 13th time this season – 36th in his career – Jonathan Mitchell notched double-digits with 14 points. It was the 11th time in the last 14 contests Mitchell has posted 10-plus. The senior just missed a double-double with nine rebounds.
•     It marked the 27th time in his career, 11th this season that Miller has scored 10-plus. He added three blocks. It marked the seventh time this season the sophomore has had three-plus swats, including the fifth time in the last seven games.
•   Miller led RU in rebounding for the eighth game this season.
•   Gilvydas Biruta notched his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. It was his 12th game in double-figure points and second in double-digit rebounds.
•    It marked the 13th time this season, three Scarlet Knights scored in double-figures. RU is 8-4 when this happens.
•    With one assist, Mike Coburn moves into sole possession of seventh place on the all-time RU career assists list with 312 helpers. Next up is Steve Brown (1983-87) in sixth with 314.
•    With one steal, Coburn moves into a tie for the No.23 spot in the RU record book with 94 career steals. Coburn is tied with Daryl Smith and Damon Santiago.
•     The Scarlet Knights went on a 19-7 run from 10:59-3:10 in the first half, including 7-0 over 1:27. Over that time, the defense held the Pirates to 2-of-9 shooting with four turnovers to take a 29-15 lead. 
•    RU held SHU to 23 points at half, the lowest first-half total by a BIG EAST opponent this season and lowest since Norfolk State (22) on Nov. 23. The last time RU held a conference opponent to 23 points at the break was USF on March 7, 2009 at home. The last time the Scarlet Knights did it on the road was at Syracuse on March 3, 2009 (19).
•   RU won the rebounding (22-11), second chance (10-0) and points in the paint (18-10) battles in the first half.
•    For the game, RU bested SHU in rebounding (44-38) and second chance points (13-7).
•    Mike Rice went with the starting lineup of James Beatty, Mike Coburn, Dane Miller, Jonathan Mitchell and Gilvydas Biruta for the 17th time this season.
 

Postgame Quotes

#11 Sophomore wing Dane Miller

On defensive effort:

"After South Florida, Coach Rice asked me if I wanted to guard every team's best player. I felt like that was a big challenge because Jeremy Hazell is one of the best players in the conference and one of the best shooters in the country. He is a volume shooter so he gets a lot of shots up."

On defending Hazell:

"I stayed with him the whole game. Our game plan was to stay with him the whole game. When he didn't have the ball, the coaches were telling me to cut him off. I was jumping in the lane so he couldn't catch the ball. When he caught it, I was right on his hip forcing him to rush shots."

On winning on the road:

"It felt good to get a road win. It's a rivalry game. We got two in a row and we got this one on the road. It feels good."

On breakdown before halftime:

"Individually, I was mad because I turned the ball over twice and they scored both times. Every time I turned the ball over, they scored. Jeremy scored, so that made me even more mad because I was guarding him. We stayed together and we knew they were going to go on a run, but we stayed in the game."