Box Score

VIDEO: Postgame Press Conference

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Steve Pikiell led Rutgers (2-0) to an 87-66 win over Drexel (0-2) Sunday afternoon at the RAC to become the first RU men's basketball coach to open his tenure with consecutive 20-plus point victories. The Scarlet Knights out-rebounded the Dragons by a 56-29 margin and had six players post double figure scoring totals in the decisive victory.

"We took another step," said Pikiell. "I loved our defense today. The key here is under 40, and under 30 (percent). We held them under that in field goal percentage in both areas. Obviously, our backcourt was great, but I love how we're developing into a team with a deep bench...It was a great team win. It's another step, but we have a long way to go. There were too many turnovers and fouls in the first half, but we'll continue to get better and move forward."

Redshirt junior forward Deshawn Freeman had his second straight double-double, posting 10 points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes. He was joined in double figures by Nigel Johnson (15), Jonathan Laurent (15), C.J. Gettys (13), Candido Sa (11) and Corey Sanders (11). Laurent and Gettys were 6-of-8 and 5-of-8 from the field, respectively, while Johnson dished-out a career-high seven assists.

Thirteen players saw action for Rutgers, including nine that played 13 or more minutes. As a result, the home squad established a 32-11 advantage in bench points.

It was a single-digit contest for the majority of the opening half, with Drexel closing to within two points (28-26) just prior to the final media timeout. The Scarlet Knights proceeded to go on a 13-point run to close the half and entered the locker room with a 41-26 advantage.

Rutgers maintained a double-digit lead for the duration of the second half, extending its advantage to as much as 25 points (85-60) to secure the convincing win.

Rodney Williams scored a game-high 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting, but was the only visitor to tweak the twine with a measure of consistency. RU limited Drexel to a 38.2 percent (26-of-68) field goal percentage, and just 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from behind the arc.

RU returns to the hardwood this Thursday at Big East-member DePaul in the annual Gavitt Tip-Off Games. The contest will tip-off at 8:30 ET on FS1.

Postgame Notes

• Steve Pikiell is the first Rutgers men's basketball coach to begin his tenure with consecutive 20-plus point victories.
• The last Rutgers head men's basketball coach to begin his tenure 2-0 was Bob Wenzel, who was the BTN analyst for today's game, in 1988-89.
• The last time Rutgers won consecutive games by 20+ points was 2008-09, defeating Bryant 67-37 and NJIT 78-52.
• The only other time Rutgers opened its season with consecutive 20-plus point wins was 1935-36, defeating Montclair State 42-18 and Trenton State 54-19 under head coach Frank J. Hill.
• The last time Rutgers had six players score in double figures was in a 116-89 win over Stillman College at the RAC on Nov. 25, 2013. The last time RU had six players score in double figures versus a Division I opponent was in a 91-75 win over Sacred Heart at the RAC on Nov. 17, 2011.
• Rutgers outrebounded Drexel by 27, 56-29. In the last 13 seasons (since 2004-05), RU has outrebounded an opponent by 20 or more just four times (+20 vs. Stillman College, 11/25/13; +23 vs. St. Peter's, 11/30/08; +21 vs. St. Thomas Aquinas, 12/12/05; +20 vs. FDU, 12/22/04).
• Today's game marked the eighth time in the last 13 seasons (since 2004-05), that Rutgers registered 50 or more rebounds in a game.
• Deshawn Freeman had 10 points and 10 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. The last Rutgers player to begin a season with consecutive double-doubles was Wally Judge in 2012-13.
• Jonathan Laurent set a new career-best with three made three-pointers.
• Nigel Johnson had a career-high seven assists.

Postgame Quotes

Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell:

Opening Statement:

"We took another step," said Pikiell. "I loved our defense today. The key here is under 40, and under 30 (percent). We held them under that in field goal percentage in both areas. Obviously, our backcourt was great, but I love how we're developing into a team with a deep bench. Guys come off the bench and contribute. We got in foul trouble tonight and played through...We never flinched. Candido [Sa], Mike [Williams] and Nigel [Johnson] came off the bench and did some good things. It was a great team win. It's another step and we have a long way to go. There were too many turnovers and fouls in the first half, but we'll continue to get better and move forward."

On Rutgers' rebounding: "I like those numbers. We missed a lot on the offensive end, if you look at it both ways, but we've emphasized [rebounding] and we have some big guys that go out. I even liked Shaq [Doorson]. He had a great practice yesterday and came back. He didn't play much in that opener and he was ready to go today. Another good sign for us upfront was our post guys who did a really good job of controlling the offensive end and the glass."

On what he learned from the game: "I learn everyday about this team. It's a process. We're still figuring out our rotations and learning how to play with fouls. Seeing different defenses that we haven't seen in a while. We're still checking things off of our list. Pretty soon, we'll have seen everything. I like how we fought through adversity. Early in the season, you don't know what teams are going to do with a new coach, so you have to be prepared for anything. I thought they executed and did some good things. Again, we have to cut down on those turnovers and we'll be fine."

On the play of C.J. Gettys: "C.J. plays with great energy. He knows how to play and he's huge out there. He set great screens, which is his next step. He has to start doing those things. He causes a lot of problems. He's a fifth-year guy, so he's been around a little bit. We're excited about what he brings."

On setting his rotation for the season ahead: "I want to play a lot of guys. We didn't get into our full-court pressure as much tonight. We had to rotate for foul reasons. I want to play guys. I have a lot of faith in Eugene. Eugene [Omoruyi] didn't play as much tonight as he did the other night, but there are different games and matchups for both of them. Adding Shaq to the rotation which is another big body. As the game dictates, I have confidence in our guys and want to play everyone. That's the kind of program I want to have."

Drexel Head Coach Zach Spiker:

On the result: "It is a process and every game is a learning moment. I told the guys that we need to be immune to the result, win or lose. That's what consistent teams do. You can't get too high or too low. But we certainly go back to campus with a clear plan of what we need to do to improve."

On Rutgers' size: "I think their size going into the game was a major concern to the staff. It proved to be that as well. I think in the CAA we have some size. Our goal is to be the hammer, not the nail. I thought today to be out-rebounded like that is something we have to address immediately. But (shooting) 38 percent is not going to put you in position either. People will say it's one or the other, but it's both. You need to be very good on defense and have a complimentary style on offense. So I thought our shot selection is something to improve, we have been talking about a lot. There were a handful of shots that played into their hand today."

On offensive rebounding: "I thought we had 19 offensive rebounds against Monmouth the other night. A lot of can be who to check-out and get matched up. But the goal is to shoot a better percentage so there's not many rebounds. The goal is to make shots. We want to move the ball and get good shots. Today we didn't have too many patient possessions. We shot the ball too quick. It is a fine line. I thought we could get in the paint and get the shot blocker in the air, draw a foul and get to the line, especially with how the rules are. We weren't able to do that like we wanted to."