Box Score Coach Jordan
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Junior guard Bishop Daniels scored 17 points and sophomore forward Junior Etou muscled a double-double, but it was not enough, as Rutgers (10-15, 2-10) dropped a 79-60 decision to No. 20 Ohio State (18-6, 7-4) Sunday night at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights forced 15 OSU turnovers before a sellout crowd of 8,003.
Etou scored 12 points and secured 11 rebounds, while Daniels added five assists. Forwards Kadeem Jack and D.J. Foreman each contributed nine points.
The Buckeyes shot 51 percent (30-of-59) from the floor and out-rebounded RU, 48-40, to earn the victory.
Daniels paced Rutgers at the onset, scoring six points in the first six minutes. His reverse, fast break layup at the 14:07 mark made it just 11-10 in favor of the visitors.
After Ohio State increased its lead to 24-12, Daniels found Jack for a two-handed slam to bring the Scarlet Knights to within 10 points with 7:04 remaining in the first half.
The Buckeyes entered the locker room at the midpoint with a 44-26 lead. RU forced six turnovers and matched Ohio State with 23 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
Daniels attempted to bring Rutgers back in the second half, scoring nine straight points - including two three-pointers - to make it 60-42 Ohio State with 13:01 remaining. Freshman center Shaquille Doorson then finished a dunk on the next possession to decrease the deficit to 16 points.
The Buckeyes continued to add on to their lead, but Rutgers never relented. A corner three-pointer from freshman Mike Williams made it just a 13-point game with 7:03 left to go, and a driving layup on the following offensive possession from Foreman brought the score to 69-57.
Despite RU's effort, Ohio State was able to hold on for the win. D'Angelo Russell had a triple-double for the Buckeyes, dropping 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Forward Jae'Sean Tate scored 20 points while forward Amir Williams added 14 points to join Russell in double-digit scoring.
The Scarlet Knights return to action on Thursday (Feb. 12), when they host Purdue. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU.
POSTGAME NOTES
· Bishop Daniels led the Scarlet Knights with 17 points. He scored 15+ points for the second time in his career (career-high 18 vs. FDU).
· Daniels, who scored in double digits for seventh time this season, led RU in scoring for third time this year.
· Daniels also tied a career high with five assists in a career most 36 minutes.
· Junior Etou had his second career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
· Etou also had a career-high 4 steals.
· Etou scored double figures for the eighth time this season and 14th time in his career.
· Myles Mack made his 100th career start and had five assists to pass 400 assists in his career (403).
· D.J. Foreman tied his career-high with nine points.
· Shaquille Doorson had seven rebounds in 11 minutes of action (career-high is eight rebounds vs. Seton Hall).
· Rutgers forced 15 turnovers, which they turned into 19 points.
· The crowd of 8,003 was the largest at the RAC this season. It marked the first sellout since 8,006 attended the game versus UConn on Jan. 25, 2014.
· The Scarlet Knights are now 1-1 all-time against Ohio State.
· 22 professional scouts/NBA personnel were issued credentials for the contest.
POST-GAME QUOTES
Rutgers Head Coach Eddie Jordan:
Opening Statement: "We just couldn't match up with [Ohio State] tonight. They were really good and really out-classed and out-coached us. They did everything in the book better than we did. We didn't give up. They're quick, they're athletic, they exploit any weakness that you have, they have a terrific player and they're very well coached. We had to play almost great to be in the game tonight."
On the play of D'Angelo Russell: "I've watched him on tape and the more I watched him, the less sleep I got. He's calm, he sees everything, he's patient, and he delivers and has a real smooth game about himself. He's going to have a great future."
On the return of Mike Williams: "He looked good for his first game back. He's not 100 percent and he hasn't player, so I'm happy he played a lot of time. He defended well and he's tough. He made a big three-pointer for us and then shot a few air balls, but he's a freshman and he does everything hard. We're pleased with him."
On rebounding from a loss: "We relay that message to them every day. I tell them if there is any frustration, they should turn that into determination."
On coaching the younger players: "Part of what we do as a coaching staff is that we have to coach them the right way. We're very respectful, we push them and we challenge them. We say the right things and coach them respectfully. We don't curse and don't get in anyone's face and we remind them that this is the way this staff is going to coach. They have an opportunity to learn and get better and we have a great staff that knows a lot about basketball. "
On the passing of former UNC coach Dean Smith: "His coaching style is something I like to copy. He did it respectfully. [Rutgers assistant coach] Mike O'Koren played for him and Mike said that Dean hardly cursed at any player. He spoke about life skills as well as basketball skills and everyone on that team meant something whether it was Michael Jordan or the 15th guy on that team and we like to do that, too."
Ohio State Head Coach Thad Matta:
On D'Angelo Russell: "I thought he was really, really good tonight. He had great command on the court and affected the game in many different ways. Tonight was one of the better performances I have seen in my coaching career. His attention to detail and preparation are as good as I've seen for a freshman. That includes a guy I had at Xavier in David West, who was as tuned in as anyone. D'Angelo looks for advantages on the court and that includes mentally."
On team performance tonight versus at Purdue: "I think we had better tempo and pushed the ball in transition. I thought we were more active defensively, just getting our hands on balls and getting deflections."
On Rutgers cutting into the lead: "I was little bit concerned, but I wanted to see our guys get themselves out of it. I chose not to take a timeout. As I told our guys after the game, Rutgers is a very, very good basketball team. We have seen them do some things in this building during the course of the Big Ten season. They gave us three really good shots and I thought we took them all and answered."
