PISCATAWAY – Corey Sanders became the 42nd player in RU men's basketball history to reach 1,000 points, scoring 12 on 5-of-8 shooting, to help Rutgers (9-3) to a 75-63 win over Fordham (4-6) Tuesday evening at the RAC. Six players scored in double figures for the Scarlet Knights, who improve to 17-1 in non-conference homes games under Steve Pikiell.

"I don't usually talk about individual accolades, but, 1,000 points, I'm really excited," said Pikiell. "That's a huge accomplishment and Mike (Williams) is close too. So, credit to Corey. 1,000 points is a special thing in this league. It was a good team win."
 
Sanders achieved the millennium mark via a short-range floater with 35 seconds remaining in the first half. He was joined in double figures by Deshawn Freeman, Geo Baker, Issa Thiam, Candido Sa and Mike Williams. Freeman had 14 points and 10 rebounds to register his 14th career double-double, while Baker scored 12 points, Thiam 11, and both Sa and Williams added 10. It marked the first time RU had six players in double-figures since an 87-66 win against Drexel on Nov. 13, 2016.
 
"Everyone had moments," said Pikiell. "Corey had some moments that took over the game. Mike had some huge plays down that key stretch. Issa had plays. Everyone kind of chipped in and did what they needed to do."
 
Rutgers, the nation's top rebounding team, both overall and offensively, grabbed 45 boards, including 15 off the offensive glass, and was +18 on the boards. As a result, the Scarlet Knights established a 48-20 scoring advantage in the paint.
 
"They are amazing offensive rebounders," said Fordham head coach Jeff Neubauer. That's what they did to us last year too. That's what they do to everyone. They really coach offensive rebounding well and their guys give amazing effort."
 
Rutgers led for the majority of the opening half, but was unable to stretch its advantage to double digits. Helped by Sa's 10 points, the Scarlet Knights entered the locker room with at the midpoint with a 36-28 lead after scoring the final six points of the stanza.
 
Boosted by its balanced scoring, RU built its lead to as much as 22 points (65-43) with six minutes on the clock. The Rams, however, would not relent. The visitors went on a 13-0 run to reduce their deficit to single digits. The home squad responded by scoring eight of the contest's next 10 points to ensure the victory.
 
Rutgers returns to the hardwood on Saturday to host Seton Hall at 12 noon in the annual Garden State Hardwood Classic. All fans are encouraged to wear scarlet to the rivalry contest, which is sold out to the general public and will mark the 69th meeting between the schools since 1916. The game will be televised on BTN. Williams enters the contest with 989 career points, 11 shy of becoming the 43rd RU player to reach 1,000.
 
"They are really good," said Pikiell. "We'll settle down and we'll be well prepared. Kevin (Willard) does a great job. They have senior guys who have been around. They're ranked high and they can play. So, we have to be ready and we have to play well."
 
Single game tickets for the other 11 remaining men's basketball home games are available online or by calling the Rutgers Ticket Office at 1-866-445-GORU. Fans also have the opportunity to purchase flex ticket plans or a "Pikiell's Presents" package. Flex ticket plans enable fans to select any four games from the home schedule to create their own package. "Pikiell's Presents" includes two section 110 tickets to the games versus Stony Brook (Dec. 22) and Hartford (Dec. 28), along with two food vouchers per game and ugly holiday sweater t-shirts.
 
Follow Rutgers men's basketball on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersMBB), Twitter (www.twitter.com/RutgersMBB) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/RutgersMBB) for additional news and updates.

Post-Game Notes
 

• Rutgers improves to 17-1 in non-conference homes games under Steve Pikiell.
• With his short-range floater with 35 seconds left in the first half, Corey Sanders became the 42nd member of the 1,000-Point Club. He scored 12 points to conclude the evening with 1,009 career points. Mike Williams looks to become the 43rd member of the 1,000-Point Club with his career total at 989 following 10 points against Fordham. The last Rutgers player to hit 1,000 points was Kadeem Jack in 2014-15, while the last non-senior to reach the plateau was Myles Mack, who did so as a junior in 2013-14.
• Rutgers had six players in double-figures for the first time since an 87-66 win against Drexel on Nov. 13, 2016. It was the second time this season they had at least five in double figures (Dec. 3 at Minnesota).
• Deshawn Freeman notched his fourth double-double of the season – and 14th of his career – with 14 points and 10 rebounds. It was the sixth time this season he led the Scarlet Knights in rebounding.
• Double-figure season/career marks: Freeman (10th/34th), Baker (9th/9th), Sanders (9th/53rd), Thiam (4th/6th), Sa (1st/3rd) and Williams (4th/45th).
• Eugene Omoruyi tied his career-high in rebounds with eight.
• Rutgers grabbed 15 offensive rebounds while beating out Fordham 45-27 on the glass, as the Scarlet Knights continue to lead the nation in offensive rebounds per game. The +18 rebounding margin was the third highest of the season.
• The Scarlet Knights are shooting .535 over the last three contests.
• Rutgers established a 48-20 scoring advantage in the paint. The Scarlet Knights have scored 30 or more points in the paint in nine of 12 contests and greater than
• Tonight's game was the final of five games Rutgers played in a 10-day span. It was also the third of five straight against metro opponents.
• Rutgers tied the all-time series against Fordham, 27-27, with the Scarlet Knights winning five straight and 10 of the last 11.

 
Post-Game Quotes
 
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
 
Opening Statement: "I'm happy for the win. I really am. I don't really usually talk about individual accolades, but, 1,000 points. I'm really excited. That's a huge accomplishment and Mike is close too. So, credit to Corey. 1,000 points is a special thing in this league. So, it was a good team win. One day to prepare; Fordham is a different kind of team. They play very different than any team we've played this year. Went really small today which caused us some problems, and with one-day prep. So, I give a tip of the hat to Fordham. They're well-coached and they play hard. They've been leading the country, or are one of the top teams in the country, forcing teams to turn it over. We took decent care of the ball. We out-rebounded them. One of our goals going into the game was being nine and three. So, we accomplished that today. I thank the crowd and the community. They continue to give us energy and support us. So, it's a good day."
 
On what he attributes to having six players with double figures tonight: "I love that stat. Everyone had moments. Corey had some moments that took over the game. Mike had some huge plays down that key stretch. Issa had plays. Everyone kind of chipped in and did what they needed to do in the game today. So, six guys in double figures, I don't know if that's happened here in a long time. Drexel, last year? Ok, long time ago. That was one of my first games. A good day by us today and a good day of sharing the ball. We talk a lot about that. These guys are doing a good job of finding open men and their defense is different. So, you really have to do a good job. You can see we got layups once we really shared the ball, too."
 
On whether he's had to warn the team against looking ahead to Seton Hall: "I think we've had a huge stretch here. We've played a zillion games. They have finals, it's the last week of class. So, they've got a lot of obstacles. They really do, and they've grinded through it. They haven't really had a lot of time off. They'll get a well-earned day tomorrow and obviously it doesn't get any easier playing a great team on Saturday. Here, it's going to be a great environment. I'm excited for our Rutgers fans and for our students. Our students are going to pack the place and make it a tough place to play."
On the importance of having Corey and Mike throughout the rebuild: "These two guys, from day one, some guys didn't want to sign on with Coach Pikiell. Some guys left and these guys stayed. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. They've worked hard and they've gotten better. They've bought into our defensive end of things. At the end of the day today, we defended against a team that spaced you way out and shot the ball really well. They haven't been shooting the ball like that. These two guys have bought into that and they've been good soldiers. So, I'm very appreciative of both of them and Deshawn, too, for stepping up and saying he wanted to take the challenge on the rebuild. He wanted to defend and he got a double-double tonight. These guys did what they needed to do and put our program in a better place."
 
On leading the country in rebounding and whether that's the result of a mindset: "I tell you, it starts with them buying in. It's an important part of what we do on both ends of the floor. Offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds. Mike, the last few games, I've really been challenging him and he's stepped up. His game has improved because of that. Corey has done a great job and our perimeter guys rebounding really helps our fast-break. It helps us get out. But, you know, we do a lot of drills, we talk about it and they've bought into it and they know how important it is to win it too. A good rebound is just as good as anything else that you can do on the basketball court."
 
On whether he'll address the team over the next few days about the rivalry with Seton Hall: "We play top 15 teams. They're really good. We'll settle down and we'll be well prepared. Kevin does a great job. They've got senior guys who have been around. They're ranked real high and they can play. So, we have to be ready and we have to play well."
 
On Candido Sa's performance: "Tremendous. Candido gave us a great lift. I think he's in the training room right now, he should be up here with these guys too. He plugged away and he's a good defender too. This was a game that was a little more suited for him because he could chase around some of those smaller players. He gave us a huge lift. He works every day, he plugs away at it and he's always ready when he's called on. So, glad to see the ball go in today for him too."
 
On whether he's seen a team score two four-point plays back-to-back: "I haven't, no. I didn't like seeing it with my team. But, we usually do a really good job defending the three without fouling. It's one of the things we teach. They got two plays and they knocked it down to their credit. So, it happens in a basketball game you just don't see it twice in a row."
 
On Corey getting to 1,000 points as a junior: "How many people get to 1,000 points in four years? For him to do that, it's a credit. He works hard, he's gotten better too, and he's got to do that against some good competition. This is a heck of a league and people are out to stop him. Same thing with Mike. People are out to stop him. So, again. I'm a team goal guy but 1,000 points is a tremendous accomplishment."
 
Fordham Head Coach Jeff Neubauer
 
On message to the team after playing with six scholarship players: "What we did tell the team afterward in the locker room was that we did stick with it. To win that game, we can't put our defense in such tough spots and we have to have an amazing value for the ball. For our group to have 16 turnovers tonight, we are not going to win that game. This game is on schedule in the future; we are at VCU and we play Rhode Island and teams very similar to this. And 16 turnovers is not going to cut it."
 
On Rutgers: "They are amazing offensive rebounders. That's what they did to us last year too, that's what they do to everyone. They really coach offensive rebounding well and their guys give amazing effort."
 
On attempting 29 three-pointers: "To get 29 (three-pointers) off against Rutgers, that's a big number against them. So we do shoot a ton of threes. I am actually proud of how we shot it tonight. We had four different guys make threes. This a good step for us shooting-wise to make 11."
 
On lessons from the game: "We put our defense in tough spots. Obviously we were playing without our biggest player (Prokop Slania). Joe (Chartouny) was down there trying to protect the basket and we should have tried to take him out of those situations."