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PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Freshman guard Corey Sanders scored 18 points and senior guard Bishop Daniels added 17 points to lead four players in double figures as Rutgers (4-5) earned a 75-59 victory over Central Connecticut State (0-8) Tuesday evening at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights shot 49.1 percent (28-of-57) and out-scored the visitors 38-18 in the paint to improve to 4-2 at home.

Sanders made 7-of-9 field goal attempts and was 4-of-4 from behind the arc. He also dished-out six assists and grabbed four steals. Daniels shot 7-of-12 with six helpers and six rebounds off the bench. The backcourt duo combined for 47 percent of the team's scoring and contributed to a season-best 18 assists.

Freshman wing Jonathan Laurent added 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting in a reserve role to help RU establish a 38-16 advantage in bench points. Sophomore forward D.J. Foreman capped the double-figure scoring, going 6-of-6 at the charity stripe to produce 10 points with seven rebounds.

The Scarlet Knights led for over 27 of the game's 40 minutes, including the entire second half. The first stanza, however, featured six ties and six lead changes and proved sluggish. After trailing by as many as five points, RU scored six of the final eight points to enter the locker room at the midpoint with a 28-25 edge.

The Blue Devils battled back to within one point on two occasions with just over 15 minutes remaining. Rutgers responded with a 12-2 run to take control with a double-digit advantage. The Scarlet Knights built their lead to 21 points (75-54), shooting 55 percent in the second half, closing out the 16-point victory.

Rutgers returns to the hardwood Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. tip-off at George Washington. The game will be televised by the CBS Sports Network. The Colonials are receiving votes in both polls.

Postgame Notes

Corey Sanders tied his career high with six assists. He scored in double figures for the sixth time in eight games. He also made a career-best four three-pointers.
Jonathan Laurent totaled a career-high 15 points and two assists.
Bishop Daniels contributed 17 points off the bench on 7-of-12 shooting. It was his third time in double figures in a reserve role this season. Daniels also had a career-high six assists.
D.J. Foreman had 10 points and seven rebounds, reaching those plateaus for the fifth time this season. His six made free throws were a career-best.
RU had 18 assists. It was the most helpers since the team had 18 on Jan. 15, 2014 against UCF.
Rutgers had four players score in double figures for the second time this season, improving to 2-0
when that occurs.
Rutgers was 6-of-13 from three-point distance (46.2 %), its best percentage from behind the arc this season.
The Scarlet Knights were a season-best 76.5% at the free throw line (13-17).
Rutgers started Corey Sanders, Mike Williams, Omari Grier, D.J. Foreman and Greg Lewis for the second straight game.

Postgame Quotes

Rutgers Head Coach Eddie Jordan

Opening Statement: "I thought the story of the game was our second half approach and what we did in the second half responding to some halftime reminders. That was pretty much the key - how we came out in the second half. We sustained it. We changed our pressure up. That little spurt with some of that three-quarter pressure up was good. We got our energy up, got some turnovers, got them a little skewed. My hat's off to Howie. I've known Howie a long, long time. Those kids played hard, they played together, they shared the ball, they kept their energy up. I don't look at their record so much but how they are coached, and they are coached very well."

On whether the first half performance was a carry-over from Saturday: "I was hoping that wasn't even a factor, Saturday's game. We had a couple days of practice and as much as we want to forget about Saturday, we still have to show them film and learn from some things we weren't happy with. I don't know if that was a factor or not. I thought the players made a concerted effort to stay together and to keep their lines of communication open for the two days that we had practice."

On if he would like to play some games at the College Ave. Gym: "Just for a scrimmage. I would like see a preseason game or an exhibition. Look, if you build it they will come. You've watched field of dreams right? If you win they will come. That's our responsibility. We have to create the excitement and hopefully we will."

"I've been lobbying to have at least a scrimmage at the Barn. You know how much I love that place...It's on College Ave. Campus, that's a change. I think it'd be really, really neat to have at least a scrimmage there. But I don't know if it's conducive for logistical purposes for an in-season game, certainly not a conference game."

On having the Jimmy V Court unveiling at that site: "I'm all for anything Bobby Lloyd wants to do and how he wants to approach and facilitate the Jimmy V Foundation and how they want to go on their plans to partnership with us. It will be great to name that court after Jimmy V."

On if it felt good to get a win: "Oh my gosh, you know it. It doesn't come easy either. The first half was a little bit of a struggle. You have to have some patience as a coach. You have to stay positive. You've got to jump them a little bit, you've got to hug them a little bit. They still have to make it fun. It was a good time to get a 'W' no doubt about it."

CCSU Head Coach Howie Dickenman

Overall thoughts on the game: "I thought we played well for a half or so. We played solid defense and kept them off the foul line. Then we got tired. They just broke us down. They got what they wanted in the second half. They made three's. They had a player who was 20-something percent from the foul line and he went six-for-six from the foul line. Then they had another player who hit six three's, so it's streaky. You can determine, in my opinion, if the team is going to shoot well from the foul line or not from their first five free throws. If you make four out of five, you're going to have a good night. I truly believe that and as the game wore out, they shot well from the foul line.

"It was basically transition defense and penetration that won the game for them. I was pleased with our first half, but obviously, we had some breakdowns. But give a lot of credit to Rutgers. They have a chance to be a great team and have terrific athletes and great penetrators, so I'm looking forward to seeing them do well."

On what Rutgers did well this game: "I think they're well coached and pretty well organized on the court. You don't see them getting very sloppy and they play within themselves and this is a young team. Each game, they're only going to get better."

On what CCSU needs to take out of this game:"This was one of our better three-point shooting efforts. I believe we made seven. We need to get better in transition, but we just don't shoot the ball well. In 18 years, it's the lowest three-point shooting team I've had. We're not shooting the ball well. I'm pleased how we played well as long as we did, but disappointed in the way we finished."