Rutgers Hosts Hampton Sunday Afternoon in Triple Crown Cancun Challenge
Nov 18 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers (2-1) hosts 2011 NCAA Tournament participant Hampton (1-1) at 12 noon on Sunday (Nov. 20) in the second of two games stateside in the Triple Crown Cancun Challenge. After squaring off against the Pirates, the Scarlet Knights will board a plane for Cancun, Mexico to meet Illinois State on Tuesday (Nov. 22) and then either Illinois or Richmond on Nov. 23. RU began the tournament with a convincing 91-75 win over Sacred Heart this past Thursday evening at the RAC.
Sunday afternoon's game will be Kids' Day and a Rutgers Against Hunger (RAH) Food Drive. Kids 12-and-under receive free admission with purchase of at least one adult ticket. A Rutgers Kids' Zone opens at 10:30 with free amusements, games, temporary tattoos and more. Fans are also encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to help restock local food pantries.
The game will be available live via the web at ScarletKnights.com on RVision Presented by AT&T with Danny Breslauer and Adam Helfgott calling the action with Alexa Datt as the courtside reporter. On the radio, the contest will be broadcast live on the Rutgers Radio Network, WOR 710 AM in New York and WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick. Chris Carlin will serve as play-by-play announcer and Dick Lloyd will provide commentary. WRSU (88.7) will also broadcast the game.
Sunday's contest will mark the first meeting on the collegiate hardwood between the Scarlet Knights and Hampton. RU is 9-0 all-time against current members of the MEAC.
Six players scored in double figures to help Rutgers to a convincing 91-75 victory over Sacred Heart Thursday evening in the Cancun Challenge opener. The Scarlet Knights shot 63.0 percent (34-54), including a sizzling 80.8 percent (21-26) mark in the second half, en route to scoring its most points since a 91-84 home win over Marquette on Feb. 12, 2006. Freshman guard Jerome Seagears (Silver Spring, Md.) shot seven-of-11 to score a game-high 17 points. His fellow rookie guards, Eli Carter (Willingboro, N.J.) and Myles Mack (Paterson, N.J.) contributed 13 and 10 points, respectively.
It was a tale of two halves for the Scarlet Knights. The home squad struggled in the opening stanza, trailing for its majority and by eight points (17-9) at its midpoint. RU entered the locker room at halftime facing a 35-32 deficit. The Scarlet Knights wasted little time playing with a new found energy for the final 20 minutes. Junior wing Dane Miller (Rochester, N.Y.) exited the locker room on a mission. In the initial three minutes of the second half Miller scored six points, had three steals and dished out a pair of assists. He ended the night with 14 points on four-of-five shooting.
Miller is averaging 11.0 points-per-game to lead the Scarlet Knights in the scoring column. Sophomore forward Gilvydas Biruta (Jonava, Lithuania) is averaging a team-high 6.7 rebounds-per-contest, while also shooting 61.9 percent (13-21) from the field.
Hampton, under the direction of third year head coach Edward Joyner Jr., was selected to finish second in the MEAC's preseason poll. The Pirates shot just 25 percent (15-60), including an 11.1 percent (2-18) from behind the arc, in a 72-51 loss at Richmond Thursday night. Senior guard Darrion Pellum is averaging 14.0 points-per-game to lead the team in the scoring column. Hampton starts five seniors and does not have a true freshman on its roster.
