BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -Despite 24 points and eight assists from senior guard Myles Mack, Rutgers (10-13, 2-8) dropped a hard-fought 72-64 decision to No. 22/21 Indiana (16-6, 6-3) in front of 17, 472 fans at Assembly Hall on Saturday. The Paterson product shot 7-of-13, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc, while registering 20 of his points in the second half.

"I think Myles was the best player on the floor today," said Rutgers head coach Eddie Jordan. "Good players find the seams. They find the opportunities. If he didn't have the ball, he was analyzing or zone shifting and looking for the creases. When he has it, he was using a screen for other reasons to get his teammate open."

Rutgers shot 44.4 percent and made seven three-pointers, but the Hoosiers established a 34-26 rebounding advantage and outlasted the Scarlet Knights with a 26-0 margin in bench scoring. Four Scarlet Knights scored in double figures, as Mack was joined by Junior Etou (13 points), Kadeem Jack (11 points) and Greg Lewis (10 points).

"There were a lot of positives tonight, said Jordan. "We competed against a ranked team on their home floor. It was a quick turnaround for us from our last game. But we stayed in the game, we competed, and we found a third scorer in Junior."

In front of the road crowd, Rutgers came out strong to start the game. Etou knocked down two early three-pointers, keying the Scarlet Knights as they got out to a 15-7 lead. Lewis helped RU extend their advantage, making his first four shots as Rutgers pushed the lead to 23-18.

Indiana would respond, countering with a 12-2 run that put the Hoosiers in front by a 30-25 margin. Jack scored the last four RU points as Rutgers closed the gap to enter the locker room at the midpoint trailing 32-30.

As the second half started, it was Mack who sparked the Scarlet Knights. The senior knocked down his first three shots of the frame, all from long distance, pushing RU back in front 39-38. Rutgers then used a 7-0 run, with Bishop Daniels throwing down a dunk on the fast break, to establish a 49-43 lead.

Mack's fourth three-pointer of the stanza later pushed Rutgers ahead 52-45. The Hoosiers again bounced back, however, tying the game 52-52.

The Scarlet Knights retook the lead for the final time at 57-56 with 6:50 remaining. The home squad responded with an 8-0 run to grab a 64-57 advantage with four minutes on the clock. Mack tried to will RU back into the contest, scoring five consecutive points to push within 66-62, but the Hoosiers were a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line in the final minutes to close out the victory.

"We played well for 35 minutes," said Jordan. "Playing a team like this on the road, in this environment, you have to play better than well the last five minutes. It's hard to do. It's hard to play better than well. But our team gave a good effort."

The Scarlet Knights' road trip continues with a match-up at Illinois on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. Eastern. The game will be televised live nationally on the Big Ten Network.

POSTGAME NOTES

• Myles Mack had a game-high 24 points and eight assists. 20 of Mack's 24 points came in the second half. It was the sixth time this season and the 20^th time in his career that Mack reached the 20-point plateau.
• Mack's eight assists and four made three-pointers tied season-highs.
• Junior Etou scored 13 points, reaching double-digits for the first time since Dec. 20 vs. St. Francis (Pa.).
• Greg Lewis scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in a career-high 34 minutes. Lewis tied career-highs with four made field goals and three assists.
• Lewis scored in double figures for the second time in his career (career-high 11 points Dec.1 at Clemson).
• Kadeem Jack had 11 points. Jack has scored in double figures in 14 games this season and 46 for his career.
• Bishop Daniels played a career-high 35 minutes (six points, four rebounds, two blocks).
• Rutgers had four players score double digits for the fourth time this season, and the first time in conference play.
• The game featured six ties and 11 lead changes.
• Rutgers is now 0-2 all-time versus Indiana.
• The announced attendance of 17,472 marked the largest crowd Rutgers has played in front of this season.