Rutgers University
DePaul
Rutgers Earns BIG EAST Road Win at DePaul, 68-64
Mar 02 | Men's Basketball
Rosemont, Ill. - Behind 62 points from its starters, Rutgers (14-15, 5-12) defeated DePaul, 68-64, Wednesday night at Allstate Arena. Senior Jonathan Mitchell (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) paced the team with 18 points as four Scarlet Knights went for double-figures against the Blue Demons (7-22, 1-16).
Senior James Beatty (Wilmington, N.C.) added 13 points, including nine in the first 7:06. Sophomore Dane Miller (Rochester, N.Y.) just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Gilvydas Biruta (Jonava, Lithuania) rounded out the foursome with 10 points.
Rutgers found its shooting touch over the first 20 minutes, hitting 14-of-25 shots from the field - its best first half performance since the win over Providence on Jan. 8 at home.
Never trailing the Blue Demons, Rutgers used a 13-3 first half run to turn a slim 15-13 advantage into a 28-16 lead, capped by a Mitchell trey from the right side. DePaul quickly answered with three-straight baskets, but the Mount Vernon duo of Mitchell and Mike Coburn (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) scored the final four points of the half and RU went into the locker room up 32-22.
DePaul threatened in the early stages of the second half, scoring 19 of the first 27 points after the break, including a 10-0 run from over 2:45 to pull within one, 42-41. Biruta stopped the 10-0 run with a fast break lay-in from Mitchell at the 12:55 mark.
DePaul's Moses Morgan used an old fashioned three-point play to bring the Blue Demons within one with 30 seconds remaining. After a quick foul, Mitchell buried two free throws on the ensuing possession to put RU up 65-62. A missed three from the left corner by Morgan and two free throws by Beatty put the game away for Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights continue their road swing Saturday, March 5 with a 7 p.m. matchup at Providence. The game will be live on the web via www.ESPN3.com.
Postgame Notes
- RU moves to 5-2 all-time against DPU. The Scarlet Knights own a 3-1 record at DePaul and have won the past four-straight contests.
- The Scarlet Knights did not turn the ball over in the second half. For the seventh time this season, RU turned the ball over nine times or less.
- Rutgers matches its BIG EAST win total from a year ago with five wins in conference action with one contest remaining.
- The .560 first half field goal percentage in the first half was the best for RU since the win over Providence on Jan. 8 at the RAC.
- With one theft, Mike Coburn moves into sole possession of the No. 21 spot on the RU all-time career steals list with 103. He needs five more to tie Juel Wiggan (2001-05) and Abdel Anderson (1975-79) at No. 19 with 107.
- Jonathan Mitchell scored in double-digits for the 21sttime this season with 18 points. The senior has paced RU in scoring 15 times this season. When he leads, RU is 8-7 overall.
- For the ninth time this season, 12thtime in his RU career, James Beatty tallied double-figures with 13 points, including nine in the first half.
- Dane Miller just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. The Scarlet Knights are 11-6 when the sophomore scores 10-plus.
- Miller has paced the team in boards a team-best 13 times this season. He has scored in double-digits 16 times this year.
- Gilvydas Biruta posted 10 points and seven rebounds. It marked the 16thtime this season, including four times in the last six games, that the forward has scored 10-plus.
- Austin Johnson grabbed a career high eight rebounds. The sophomore added four points off the bench.
- The Rutgers starters combined for 62 of RU's 68 points.
- Jonathan Mitchell has not missed a free throw since the St. John's game. Since missing the front end of two shots, the senior is 16-for-16.
- Rutgers moves to 10-4 when scoring the game's first points.
- This was the second time this season Rutgers has led a game wire-to-wire and the first since the win over NJIT on Dec. 1.
- RU moves to 11-6 when at least three players score in double-figures. The Scarlet Knights move to 6-2 when four players notch 10-plus.
- Of the nine players that saw action, eight had at least two points with five scoring nine-plus.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Mike Rice
On closing out on DePaul shooters:
"I thought we did (close out on shooters). I thought our switches were effective. (DePaul) shoots it and there is no second guessing. They're so open and free, it's a fun way to play if you're a player. They hit a couple, but for the most part, I thought they were challenged and I thought we got out on their shooters."
On DePaul making shots down the stretch:
"They were contested shots. It's hard when they're fading away and someone is there, I give him credit. This is the BIG EAST and they're going to make shots on you. For the most part, even when they made shots, this team has a tendency to have a soft shell, but they were tough tonight. They fought through it."
On DePaul's full court pressure:
"There's no question (their full court pressure is difficult). You look at the great guards that they turn over and over - that's what they do. They make you play faster. We missed open shots in the second half, but the way we got the shots and the way we handled the pressure, I thought was as good as we can play. No turnovers in the second half is why we won the game."
On Jonathan Mitchell:
"He missed a couple of things that he usually doesn't miss, but our go-to guy made free throws down the end in the clutch. When it was getting close, he made clutch shots and that is what a All-BIG EAST caliber player does."
