PISCATAWAY – First-year Scarlet Knights Montez Mathis and Shaq Carter scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, respectively, in a 65-57 loss to Northwestern (11-7, 2-5) Friday night at the RAC. Rutgers (8-9, 1-6) battled back from a 10-point, second half deficit to tie the contest with five minutes remaining, but was unable to complete the comeback.

"We are close, and were close tonight, but did not finish up," said Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell. "They made a couple of plays down the stretch, they made some banked threes and they made their free throws. We did not. We left a lot of ours on the line. I liked the way we fought and bounced back from a tough road trip."

RU held the advantage in multiple specialty categories, out-scoring the Wildcats 28-16 in the paint, 20-9 in points-off-turnovers and 22-7 in fast break points. Northwestern, however, was 14-of-17 from the free throw line, while the Scarlet Knight converted 15 of 25 attempts. The Wildcats shot 9-of-22 from behind the arc to more than double RU's 4-of-17 production from long range.

"We made some great defensive stops, but just could not finish it off at the free throw line or make some timely baskets down the stretch. We have been shooting them pretty well with the right guys. We have to make free throws, especially here at the RAC. I think they will. I have a lot of faith in our guys."

The home team started hot. A Geo Baker triple on the opening possession led to a 7-0 run capped by a Mathis slam dunk, which forced an early Northwestern timeout. The Wildcats answered with a 15-5 burst to take their first lead at 15-12. Carter scored all five RU points in that stretch, including his first collegiate three-pointer.

Both team shot the ball well in the opening stanza. Northwestern followed its early deficit by making eight of 11 shots to take a 26-22 lead. The Wildcats finished the opening frame at 54 percent, while the Scarlet Knights, who were over 50 percent for much of the first frame, entered the locker room at 43 percent. At the midpoint, the visitors held a 33-26 advantage.

Early in the second half, the visitors pushed the lead into double-digits. The Scarlet Knights responded with a 9-0 run, highlighted by a Peter Kiss slam dunk. The defense locked in, forcing the Wildcats into a five-minute scoring drought.

RU got within one point at 37-36 with 13 minutes to play. Northwestern responded with a 10-1 run to increase its lead to double-digits.

The home team had the next burst, an 8-0 run that tied the game and brought the crowd to its feet. Mathis had a steal and a transition slam, followed by a Baker steal and basket on consecutive possessions to force a Wildcat timeout. Mathis converted a driving layup through traffic that evened the score at 49-49 with six minutes to play. 

Northwestern took the reins, depositing a three-pointer for a 59-52 lead with 2:18 on the clock. The Wildcats secured the victory with clutch free throw shooting down the stretch.

Rutgers hosts Nebraska in an 8 p.m. tip-off on Monday at the RAC. The Cornhuskers are receiving votes in both polls and have been ranked seven of 11 weeks this season. The "Winter Break at The RAC" promotion is in effect and enables students with a valid Rutgers ID to bring up to two guests in the student section free of charge. The contest will be televised on BTN with Dave O'Brien and Stephen Bardo on the call.

Fans can secure single game tickets for the remaining home games, as well as flex ticket plans, online or by calling 866-445-GORU (4678). Additional information can obtained by visiting RutgersGameday.com. 
 
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 

• Montez Mathis scored 16 points, reaching double figures for the sixth time this season and fourth time in the past five games.
• Since joining the starting lineup nine games ago, Mathis has shot 47 percent (33-of-70) and has averaged 14.0 points over his last five contests.
• Shaq Carter hauled in a career-high 10 rebounds.
• Over his last four games, Carter has averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. 
• Mathis (32) and Carter (33) both set a new career-highs in minutes.
• Geo Baker scored 12 points, reaching double figures for the 14th time this season and 34th time in his career.
• Team co-captain Eugene Omoruyi, who leads the Scarlet Knights in both scoring and rebounding, did not compete for the third consecutive game due to a left leg injury.
• Vic Law entered the game leading Northwestern with 17.3 points-per-game having scored in double-digits in all but one contest (five vs. Michigan State). Rutgers held him to six points
• Northwestern now leads the all-time series that dates back to 1969 by a 10-2 margin.
• The game included two sons of former NBA players in Rutgers' Ron Harper Jr. and Northwestern's Pete Nance, who both earned starts. Harper Jr. is the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and Nance is the son of three-time NBA All-Star Larry Nance.
• Rutgers used a starting lineup of Geo Baker, Montez Mathis, Ron Harper Jr., Shaq Carter and Shaquille Doorson for the third consecutive game. The Scarlet Knights have utilized six different starting lineup this season.

POST-GAME QUOTES

Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell

Opening Statement: "I want to thank the crowd for coming out tonight. Thank you for supporting us, it makes a huge difference. The students and the band were there even though school is not in session yet, I appreciate that. We are close, and were close tonight, but did not finish up. They made a couple of plays down the stretch, they made some banked threes and they made their free throws. We did not. We left a lot of ours on the line. I liked the way we fought and bounced back from a tough road trip."

On the struggles at the free throw line: "They are good free throw shooters, but it happens sometimes. It was tough, especially in the second half. We missed some one and ones too during that stretch. I liked the way our guys fought. I want to give Northwestern a lot of credit tonight. They are well coached. Coach (Chris) Collins does a great job, they got a very experienced team. They made two plays down the stretch and that was the difference in the game. I thought we took a good punch from them but kept bouncing back. We made some great defensive stops, but just could not finish it off at the free throw line or make some timely baskets down the stretch. We have been shooting them pretty well with the right guys. We have to make free throws, especially here at the RAC. I think they will. I have a lot of faith in our guys. We are a young team and we need everybody. We will make free throws and keep getting better."

On the offensive struggles following the come back to tie the game: "It comes down to a couple of possessions. They made two big threes. We played hard. Our second half adjustments was stopping Dererk Pardon. He was killing us in the first half and did not score a point in the second from the floor. We made some good adjustments; these guys were close. Having Eugene (Omoruyi) would help us, he is another body, but that is no excuse. We had chances to win the game tonight, but they made the big shots down the stretch. Ryan Taylor, a fifth-year transfer for them made two daggers. I thought we did a good job on him most of the night."

On Shaq Carter exceling in place of Eugene Omoruyi: "He had a great first half and got us off to a good start. He has been playing a lot of minutes. Everyone has been logging a lot of minutes when you lose a guy that was averaging 30 and is your leading rebounder. Montez (Mathis) is getting better, Geo (Baker) did some good things, making plays getting to the free throw line. I thought Ron (Harper Jr.) gave us some good minutes. Peter Kiss gave us good energy off the bench. Everyone chipped in. We have to make some timely threes. That would help us and then free throws. We are close and they fought out there. That is a team I like to coach. We are gritty and tough."

On being efficient in transition: "It is a tough thing to do, because on the other end they are told to slow it up. I thought we got out in transition, we outscored them 22-7, got some points there. I liked the fact that we got to the foul line, attacking the rim and not settling at times. We just have to take more advantage of the free throw opportunities. I think that would have changed the outcome."

On Montez Mathis leading the way in scoring: "I think he is getting better and better. I love him. He approaches practice the right way, watching a lot of film. He is attacking the rim, confident in his ability. He has been really good defensively too. He rebounds and defends. He brings a lot to us and I like his growth. I like Shaq Carter and Caleb's (McConnell) growth too. These guys have to continue to work hard and good things are going to happen for them. I like the way Montez plays with a lot of swagger. He has some good confidence."

Northwestern Head Coach Chris Collins

Opening statement: "Obviously we are incredibly thrilled to come away with a win tonight. You catch a little bit of a break with (Eugene) Omoruyi out. He's a terrific player. You get that. But anytime you play on the road in this league. I'm such a big fan of what Steve (Pikiell) is doing here, just how hard those guys play. They are so physical. They make you work every possession. I was really proud of our guys. We got off to a tough start and kind of settled it in at the end of the half, had a lead. Give Rutgers credit. I think we got up eight there and they made a push, forced some turnovers, got out in transition. They were able to get the lead on us, or at least tie it. Maybe, I think he missed a free throw that would have given them the lead. I thought our guys executed really well. We had a timeout and ran a little special to get Ryan Taylor a three, got a stop and then came back and ran a different play for him. We got back-to-back threes there with Taylor, which gave us a two-possession lead. Overall, it's life in this league. Every game. All the coaches are saying it, you have to focus on the game you're playing, try to dig in and get a win. To win on the road in this conference, you have to enjoy it no matter how you get it. I'm really proud of my team."

On defense down the stretch: "They got some turnovers on us. We wanted to try to make them play in the half court. I felt like throughout the whole game when (Geo) Baker and (Montez) Mathis were getting a head of steam in the open floor, it was causing us a lot of problems. They were getting downhill, to the basket. I thought overall we did a pretty good job. They post the ball really well and they also go to the offensive glass so well. I thought overall, they had six or seven offensive rebounds throughout the whole game, so I thought overall we did a good job there, especially playing small down the stretch. We got just enough stops. I thought Mathis and Baker, they're going to come at you with drives and attack you. They were getting fouls and getting to the basket. They missed some free throws, of course, which helps. Overall, I just thought it was a really hard-fought game. I thought both teams played with a high sense of urgency. We're both coming out of the gates with our records where a win is big for either team tonight. I think both teams had a high sense of urgency for that. We were just able to make a couple more plays tonight to get the win."

On Vic Law: "I was just really proud he was out there to be honest with you. He was really struggling after our Iowa game, was not able to play at Michigan. He knee has really flared up on him. We weren't sure if he was going to be ready to play. He really hasn't practiced at all. He came in yesterday, got his haircut and said 'I'm going tomorrow.' I said that's great. He had some rust, no question. He really hasn't done anything in about 10 days. When you don't do that, don't practice, don't play, especially against their defense, his timing was off. But just his presence on the glass. He gets five assists, he gets seven rebounds. Didn't hit his three ball. Some of that, I think, is explosion. But he gets the big bucket late where he drives. I thought he hit two big free throws inside of a minute when we needed it."