PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers (2-0) shot 59.3 percent (35-of-59) and limited Niagara (0-2) to a 30.8 percentage (16-of-52) from the field in a convincing 86-39 victory over the Purple Eagles on Sunday afternoon at the RAC. The 47-point margin of victory was the Scarlet Knights' largest against a Division I opponent since a 101-51 defeat of Rider on Nov. 29, 1978, as RU limited an opponent to under 40 points for the fifth time under head coach
Steve Pikiell.
"I think our defense was terrific today," said Pikiell. "You saw a lot of contributions from a lot of people. I love the fact that they were coachable last couple days.
Geo Baker and
Akwasi Yeboah really helped with their leadership and stability, but I thought we got great minutes from everyone. Everyone that came in contributed."
Baker scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while Yeboah made 5-of-7 field goals to join him in double digits with 14 points.
Rutgers compiled 22 assists, including six by
Paul Mulcahy, and four from both
Jacob Young and Baker. Eight players registered helpers for the home squad, which amplified its ball-sharing by committing only nine turnovers. As a result, the Scarlet Knights benefitted from a 26-2 advantage in points-off turnovers.
"When we move the ball like that, we are going to be hard to play against," said Pikiell. "Everyone passed up a good shot maybe for a great one. It showed, we got off the floor. Guys took shots in rhythm and range."
Rutgers used an early 11-0 run to take a 16-2 lead. The Scarlet Knights protected the ball early, committing just one turnover in the opening 12 minutes, and made eight of their initial 11 shots to race-out to a twenty-point advantage. The advantage grew to 37-13 after
Ron Harper Jr. threw down consecutive alley-oop dunks in transition.
The Scarlet Knights shot 57 percent in the opening half, while holding the Purple Eagles to 22 percent. The Scarlet Knights issued 10 assists on 16 field goals with just five turnovers to establish a 12-0 advantage in points-off-turnovers, resulting in a 39-15 lead at the midpoint.
In the second half, Rutgers erupted out of the gates with a 25-10 stretch over the opening 10 minutes. Baker got hot, knocking down five straight shots that included two three-pointers and a dunk. The Scarlet Knights increased their lead to as much as 48 points, before completing the victory.
Rutgers returns to the hardwood Wednesday evening to host Drexel in the second half of a double-header at approximately 8 p.m. after the women play Niagara at 6 p.m. Both contests will be streamed live via BTN Plus.
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POSTGAME NOTES
- In the shot clock era (since '85-86), Rutgers has now held an opponent under 40 points nine times. Steve Pikiell has been the head coach in five of those contests. Prior to today, the last time holding a foe under 40 was a 63-36 win over Eastern Michigan at the RAC on Nov. 19, 2018.
- Rutgers shot 59.3%, its best percentage since shooting 61.3% versus CCNY on Nov. 10, 2017 and its best versus a Division I opponent since shooting 64.8% versus CCSU on Dec. 6, 2016.
- Rutgers' 47-point margin of victory was its best since defeating CCNY 94-38 (56) on Nov. 10, 2017 and its largest against a Division I opponent since downing Rider 101-51 at the RAC on Nov. 29, 1978.
- Rutgers committed nine turnovers, its fewest since also making nine in its 68-64 win over Minnesota at the RAC on Feb. 24, 2019.
- Eight different players contributed to 22 assists, Rutgers' most since also issuing 22 helpers versus FDU on Nov. 9, 2018.
- The Entire Rutgers starting lineup of Geo Baker, Montez Mathis, Caleb McConnell, Ron Harper Jr and Myles Johnson had a plus/minus rating of +27 or better.
- Rutgers improves to 2-0 for the fourth consecutive season under Pikiell
- Rutgers is now 26-4 in non-conference home games under Pikiell.
- Rutgers is now 2-1 all-time against Niagara
- Ron Harper Jr. had a career-high eight rebounds. He led the team in rebounding for the first time in his career.
- Jacob Young had a career-best four assists.
- Peter Kiss, Joey Downes, Luke Nathan and Nick Brooks all saw their first game action of the season.
- Geo Baker scored in double digits for the first time this season and 43rd time in career.
- Baker exceeded 20 points for the first time this season and the sixth time in his career.
- Akwasi Yeboah 2nd time scoring in double digits in RU uniform and 72nd time in career.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
Opening statement: "Good crowd today. Good energy from the start for our guys. I thank you for coming. Always. I love the fact that we had a couple of days to make some adjustments and guys really did what they needed to do. I think our defense was terrific today. You saw a lot of contributions from a lot of people. I love the fact that they were coachable last couple days.
Geo Baker and
Akwasi Yeboah really helped, their leadership and stability, but I thought we got great minutes from everyone. Everyone that came in contributed. It was good win and on to the next one."
On the ball movement: "It was terrific. When we move the ball like that, we are going to be hard to play against. Everyone passed up a good shot maybe for a great one. It showed, we got off the floor. Guys took shots in rhythm and range. Just a big difference today. I think jitters the other day, being the first game out and then we kind of settled down to play basketball today."
On the defense: "I thought we were locked in. Our screen coverage was excellent and they've created problems with their guards too. I thought were right from the opening tip were ready.
On Akwasi Yeboah: "His maturity helps our team a great deal. He can shoot, he can rebound, he can score around the basket. I think you'll see some more things as we keep adding some wrinkles for him too.
Geo Baker too. Those two guys give us some really good leadership. They bring it every day. They come to practice ready to practice. They bring that consistency. We're a very young team. So, to have these two guys a little bit older bringing that consistency help us."
On the team's response from game one: "They responded. I love the journey of the season. Everyone gets caught up on the end of the year. But the journey for me is what makes coaching fun. The guys have to learn and they took the tape, and they learned from it. That's a really good sign. So, on the next one. Can't get too high or too low. Good sign for us.
On Paul Mulcahy: "I thought everyone shared the ball. But Paul, that's what he does. Had foul trouble in the first half and then played a lot in the second half. He's getting more and more comfortable on the floor. I think guys like playing with a guy like that. He sees the floor. Good size. He really works hard. He's a nice addition for us, and a great kid."
On the up-tempo offense: "I just liked how we shared the ball. When we settled in, we reversed it and we got good looks and so everybody was involved and that's how we need to play."
Niagara Head Coach Greg Paulus
On the game: "Rutgers did a tremendous job playing with great energy and enthusiasm. They shared the ball well. They came out from the very first possession and they were really, really, aggressive.
Takeaways from the game: "It's important for us to learn from this game. For us there's some things on film that we will be able to correct and work on. A quick turnaround here for us and then we play again in the next couple of days here. So we'll try to use this and get better as a team."
On Rutgers: "I think Rutgers did a tremendous job of pushing the basketball in transition. Defensively, they were very, very good, and they help their offense by using their defense to get out in the open floor."
Going forward for the team: "It's important for us, we're trying to create a foundation and identity for our program. Obviously, Rutgers is a program from the Big Ten. This is just an area where we can continue to work on the fundamentals and try to give a little bit better from it."
