PISCATAWAY – Six players scored in double digits to help Rutgers (1-0) to a season-opening 90-55 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (0-1) Friday evening in the Hub City Classic at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights deposited 12 3-pointers and out-scored the visitors 47-22 after the break in the convincing win.
"We are doing a lot of great things," said Rutgers head coach
Steve Pikiell. "We're thankful for the crowd to come out in monsoon-like weather and hopefully they will want to come back. We are continuing to grow this program and play well together. Scoring 90 points is a good number. People like the way we play."
Junior co-captain
Eugene Omoruyi posted 14 points and 10 rebounds to register his first career double-double on 6-of-12 shooting. He was joined in double digits by
Peter Kiss, Ron Harper, Jr.,
Issa Thiam,
Geo Baker and
Montez Mathis. Kiss shot 7-of-9 and Harper 7-of-8 to score 17 and 15 points, respectively, in their first career games in Scarlet. Thiam added 11 points and both Baker and Mathis contributed 10.
The Scarlet Knights dished-out 22 assists and forced 22 FDU turnovers, while shooting 60% (12-of-20) from behind the arc and 53.8% (35-of-65) overall. FDU was limited to 36.5% (23-of-63) shooting and was out-rebounded 43-36 by the hosts.
Fairleigh Dickinson was committed to a hard-fought battle and jumped-out to a 16-11 lead. The visitors then knotted the game at 23-23 before the home squad closed the half on a 20-10 run and entered the locker room with a 43-33 advantage.
After the break, it was all Scarlet Knights. Helped by a 22-0 run, Rutgers led by as much as 40 points in a dominant 20 minutes that supplied the 35-point win.
"We are just going to continue to grow," said Pikiell. "(We have) one senior, but we have some weapons and they continue they stick together. We need to improve our defense, but we have a lot of guys who can knock down shots."
Darnell Edge posted 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting to pace FDU.
"I'm on the Rutgers bandwagon," said Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Greg Herenda. "The only time I'm not is when we play them."
Rutgers returns to the hardwood on Sunday to host Drexel in a 3 p.m. tip-off at the RAC as part of the Hub City Classic. The contest will be streamed live on BTN Plus with Ralph Bednarczyk and Danny Breslauer on the call.
Fans can secure single game tickets and flex ticket plans
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Postgame Notes
- The Scarlet Knights have a 78-29 all-time record in season openers.
- Head Coach Steve Pikiell is 3-0 in openers and 19-3 in non-conference home games at the RU helm.
- Pikiell is 3-0 at Rutgers and 6-1 in his head coaching career against FDU.
- The Scarlet Knights reached the 90-point mark in back-to-back season openers. RU handed CCNY a 94-38 loss to begin the 2017-18 season.
- RU knocked down 12 3-pointers, its most since sinking 13 at George Washington on Dec. 4, 2013.
- Rutgers shot 12-of-20 (60%) from 3-point range, its best performance from long range since going 10-of-16 (62.5%) against UMass-Lowell on Dec. 28, 2015.
- The Scarlet Knights dished-out 22 assists, their most since handing out 24 vs. Central Connecticut State on Dec. 6, 2016.
- Six scholarship student-athletes saw their first collegiate game action in a Rutgers uniform, comprised of junior Shaq Carter, sophomore Peter Kiss, redshirt freshman Myles Johnson and freshmen Montez Mathis, Ron Harper Jr. and Caleb McConnell.
- Six Rutgers players scored in double-figures for the first time since six also scored in double digits in a 73-63 win over Fordham on Dec. 12, 2017 at the RAC.
- Rutgers holds a 14-2 series advantage against Fairleigh Dickinson, including a 13-2 mark at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights have won five straight in the series.
- In two career games against FDU, Geo Baker is averaging 14.5 points and 9.0 assists, while shooting 10-of-20 (50%).
- Prior to the National Anthem, Rutgers observed a moment of silence for Chris Liguori, a father of two who served as a Custodial Group Leader with Rutgers Athletics for 14 years.
- At the eight minute media timeout of the second half, Rutgers student Luke Nagy (Class of 2020) had to the opportunity to make a half-court shot to win $10,000.
- The attendance was 5,521, marking the largest home opening crowd at the RAC since 2014-15 and signaling an increase in each of Pikiell's season-openers at the RU helm.
Post-Game Quotes
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
Opening Statement: "We're glad everyone came out. We appreciate it very much. We are very appreciative of the fans and the student section. It was a great way to get started. I did not like a lot of things on the floor today. Defensively rebounding the ball, but we have new additions that really helped us and I think we really shared the game. It was a great environment, the band, the cheerleaders, the dance team came out to support us on a rainy night like this."
On how new guys responded to the first action of the season: "Like seasoned veterans. I think they did a really good job. Ron (Harper) got in foul trouble early and then bounced right back from that. Pete (Kiss) has not played a game in a year and a half, he was ready to play tonight. Certainly we have a long way to go with a lot of things but six guys in double figures and for one game people cannot talk about our three point shooting, unless they talk about in a positive way. "
On Geo Baker running the point: "I think he is the catalyst. He did a good job scoring and guarding people. He has a nice demeanor on the court. (We) miss the guys from last year, love those guys, but he is a little different and I think the guys are really excited about playing with him. He has the swagger about his game and he is going to have a great year for us. Young guys they can play a lot right now, we will pull them in and out, Geo wants to play the full game so that is a good player."
On buzz of the crowd tonight: "We have good guys. I am real proud of my staff, did a great job in getting guys that I am excited about, Ron is in the gym, Pete is in the gym, Montez (Mathis) in the gym. These guys work hard and in the community. We are doing a lot of great things. We're thankful for the crowd to come out in monsoon-like weather and hopefully they will want to come back. We are continuing to grow this program and play well together. Scoring 90 points is a good number. People like the way we play."
On adjustments at halftime: "I just thought we were rushing things and turning the ball over a lot for no reason. They were picked second in their league, Greg (Herenda) does a great job. They have veteran guys and he took advantage on few of our mistakes and they were out rebounding us. They were really cracking us on the glass, so at halftime we buckled it up on the rebounding side of things and had some fun."
On shooting so well from the three point line: "We have good shooters, but we passed the ball, we got some length and then Peter got us going and Ron hit a big three right before halftime. We are just going to continue to grow. (We have) one senior, but we have some weapons and they continue they stick together. We need to improve our defense, but we have a lot of guys who can knock down shots."
On Myles Johnson: "He passes the ball, he can score in the post. Myles is going to be really good for us. He can block shots. The second group came in and played like veterans. Myles is going to be important role for us moving forward."
FDU Head Coach Greg Herenda
On differences of Rutgers over the years: "I want to get his halftime speech. They came out in the second half like a different team, just guarded and really rebounded. They took us out of everything. So early, they were maybe a little bit comfortable and a little bit not like coach Pikiell's teams, and we were able to get a lead and hang. Going down 10 (at halftime) is respectable, but they obviously made some adjustments. They have a lot of new young guys and defensively in the first half they weren't really, really tight. And obviously they tightened up in the second half. I love the talent. I love (Peter) Kiss,
Geo Baker, Montez (Mathis) is going to be good. They are big, long and have a lot of answers. I love what Steve (Pikiell) has done from his days at Wesleyan, all the way back from there to Stony Brook and now at Rutgers. Steve is a great coach. They are fun, exciting, can shoot it, made a bunch of threes and their bigs are a problem. I'm very, very impressed with what Steve's built and it is continuing to build."
On Peter Kiss and transfers: "I have to look at the tape, but maybe pedestrian early, but he got better. That's just going to happen. Same with our player, Xzavier (Malone-Key), he transferred from Rider and hadn't played a game and they didn't have an answer. So you had two transfer guys come in and help their teams. But Kiss is really good. And Harper, we were the first to offer a scholarship up the street at Don Bosco, is a big, long scoring forward with great genes. There are more offensive weapons with Kiss, Harper and Montez. And Geo has become a legit Big Ten player and no one thought that a year and a half ago. I'm on the Rutgers bandwagon. The only time I'm not is when we play them. The last few years hasn't been productive for us. But this is a great game for Fairleigh Dickinson. We hung and were respectable for a length of period and you could see the difference in the Big Ten in the players and coaches they have. And the building is a great building. This program is really going in the right direction, and so is ours. It was hard to see because it kind of disappeared. But our program is not a 38-point difference, but tonight it was. We have some good players and once we get to league play we'll be okay."
