PISCATAWAY – Eugene Omoruyi scored 21 points and Rutgers (11-11, 4-8) out-rebounded No. 7 Michigan (21-2, 10-2), but the visitors shot 47.8 percent (11-of-23) behind the arc to escape the RAC with a 77-65 victory on Tuesday night. The Scarlet Knights battled the first place Wolverines, who have been ranked as high as No. 2 in the polls this season, before the venue's third sold-out crowd this season.
 
"They made every shot," said Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell. "They got off to a great start and then we were kind of digging, digging, digging. I thought we could have made it interesting. Geo [Baker] had a step-back that could have cut it to five and I think the RAC would have the roof blown off."
 
Trailing by eight on the heels of a five-point run with just under four minutes to play, Baker's triple was just off the mark. The Scarlet Knights reduced its deficit to eight once again after a pair of Omoruyi free throws, but would get no closer.
 
Freshman Montez Mathis added 12 points, while also setting a career high with five assists, to join Omoruyi in double figures. Baker was RU's top rebounder, grabbing a career-best eight, as Rutgers established a 36-34 edge on the boards to benefit 36-24 in points in the paint.
 
The Wolverines made their first five shots and used a 10-0 run to jump-out to an 18-6 lead. Rutgers had a spurt that included a long Myles Johnson jumper, but Michigan registered the next five points, leading to a RU timeout. The Wolverines started 9-of-11 from the field for a 27-10 lead.

Late in the first half, Rutgers was energized by an 8-0 run over 38 seconds of action. Peter Kiss and Baker hit three-pointers during the spurt, while a steal sent Mathis for a fast-break layup. At the midpoint, the visitors held a 43-31 advantage.  

Coming out of the break, Mathis had five quick points, as his three-pointer brought Rutgers within single digits at the first media timeout. A 10-5 run, keyed by a Shaquille Doorson slam dunk, reduced RU's deficit to seven points at 48-41.

The Scarlet Knights continued to push, but UM consistently countered down the stretch.
 
"We needed some timely stops defensively or a timely offensive possession," said Pikiell. "But every time we made a mistake, they made us pay on the offensive end."

Rutgers returns to the road to meet Illinois in a 4 p.m. tip-off on Saturday at the State Farm Center in Champaign. The game will be televised on BTN with Cory Provus and Stephen Bardo on the call. 

Fans can secure single game tickets for the three remaining home games 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.
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• After the sell-outs versus No. 8 Michigan State and Maryland, tonight signaled the first time in 14 seasons that Rutgers has had three or more home sell-outs this early in its calendar schedule.
• Michigan entered the game leading the Big Ten and ranked second nationally in scoring defense (57.0). The Scarlet Knights scored 65 points, eclipsing that average by eight points.
• Rutgers shot 75% (12-of-16) at the free throw line, tying its second best performance at the charity stripe this season.
• The Scarlet Knights led in rebounds (36-34), points in the paint (36-24), points-off-turnovers (10-4), bench points (14-7) and fast break points (10-8).
• Eugene Omoruyi posted 21 points to register double-figures for the 16th time this season and 25th time in his career. It marked his fourth career game with 20 points or more and third this season.
• Omoruyi took two charges and now leads the team with 20 drawn charges this season.
• Montez Mathis scored 12 points, registering double figures for the ninth time this season and seventh occasion in the last 11 contests. He also dished out a career-best five assists.
• Rutgers committed single-digit turnovers (9) for the fourth time this season, and third time in a Big Ten contest.
• Geo Baker grabbed a career-best eight rebounds, and led Rutgers in rebounding for the first time this season.
• The Scarlet Knights wore alternate "Harlem Renaissance Collection" uniforms by adidas to celebrate Black History Month.
• Rutgers is 39-51 overall and 14-28 against ranked opponents all time when the RAC is sold out.
• Michigan now holds an 11-0 advantage in the all-time series dating back to 1933.
• Rutgers used a starting lineup of Geo Baker, Montez Mathis, Ron Harper Jr., Eugene Omoruyi and Shaquille Doorson for the fifth time this season. The Scarlet Knights have utilized six different starting lineups this season.

POSTGAME QUOTES
 
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
Opening Statement: "That was a really good, well coached Michigan team that's ranked and does a great job. We had to dig ourselves out of a hole. We played well in the second half, but you can't get yourself in a hole against a team ranked in the top 5."
 
On scouting against Ignas Brazdeikis: "Well they all shoot, I think five of their guys made three's. We really tried to do a great job, we had one day to prepare, to try and get them to have elite closeouts. We were worried about [Jordan] Poole, we were worried about a lot of their guys from three-point land and every time we made a mistake on the defensive end, [Brazdeikis] made us pay. Obviously, he was really good. He drove by us, too. He had a great game. He's one of the best young guys in the league and played that way today."
 
On the play of Michigan: "They made every shot. They got off to a great start and then we were kind of digging, digging, digging. I thought we could have made it interesting. Geo [Baker] had a step-back that could have cut it to five and I think the RAC would have the roof blown off. We needed some timely stops defensively or a timely offensive possession. But every time we made a mistake, they made us pay on the offensive end. I didn't think our defense was great, I really didn't, and it needed to be tonight."
 
On keys to the offensive play of his team: "We have to take care of the ball. That was a huge key going into the game. I thought we did a really good job. Again, they blitzed us early with their offensive possessions, and I thought offensively, the shots we missed I liked. We had a lot of good looks that we didn't take advantage of. There were a lot of layups [we missed]. I thought we could have put a number up like 70 on them if we were really on top of our game, but they're really good. They're good offensively and good defensively. That's why they're a top-five team."
 
On what Michigan does well: "They really space you out. They have elite shooters. [Jon] Teske is a problem. Obviously Iggy is a tough matchup for people. The point guard runs them. He ran them today and did a really good job. They have good players at those wing spots. [Isaiah] Livers comes off the bench and hits a big three, so they have a lot of answers. It's a good basketball team."
 
On Geo Baker getting recognition from opposing teams: "I think each team will pick a different guy. I know Ohio State mentioned [Montez Mathis] a few times after he had a career high. That's what teams do. The good part is, and I said to Geo 'It's better that they're mentioning your name than not.' That means you're a pretty good player. Nothing is going to be easy when you're playing an elite defensive team like that. They're going to try and take away option one and option two, if they can. That's what both of these guys are going to see the rest of the season."
 
Michigan Head Coach John Beilein
 
Opening statement: "Any road win that you can get is terrific, especially this time of the year when you watch the scores. People have been through it a little bit and you have a way of scouting people. You are getting more used to the crowds, but at the same time, people are fighting more and more. They see the end of the tunnel and they got to keep fighting. Rutgers has been doing that and we haven't. We have responded well to losses, but our loss this past Friday is really disappointing because we played our worst game. But you are not going to play great games for 31 games, you're just not going to do it. You have to accept it, move on and try to get better from it. We were really good today. I really liked just about everything about our game except that 14-second span where we lost our minds and they scored eight points."
 
On pick and roll: "They choose, what Rutgers does, it's very common. They choose to play with two big guys. It's very difficult for them to switch at the four position. So we knew that and that was something we were going to try to see if we could exploit. Either pick and pop it or slip it or do something with it just to get the space for different people."
 
On winning and reaching milestone: "I do cherish road wins. I cherish them for about 10 minutes and then I'll be looking at the Wisconsin stats. It's a sickness that I can't get away from, but that's who it is. I'm trying like crazy to realize that I'm not going to coach forever and these are great wins and these road wins. Four road wins in the league already is a really great accomplishment. If I'm compared to Johnny Orr at any time, that's a heck of a compliment. He's got a lot of wins with great players and I've had great players. If he were still alive, he'd say I've had really good assistant coaches and I've had really good players. And I'm going to say the same exact thing at an incredible university."
 
On Zavier Simpson: "Fourteen, seven and seven, that's incredible. We've been really blessed. That's probably why we've had the success we had is we've had really good point guards. And he's starting to put his name in there with the ones that helped us win whether it be Erie Community College, Canisius or Le Moyne or Richmond, West Virginia. The point guards make it go. Here, obviously, we've had great point guards between Darius (Morris) and Trey Burke and Derrick Walton and now he's just stepping into those shoes. He makes me a much better coach and makes our coaching staff better."
 
On Rutgers: "They have the young players right now that they can build a great culture with. I say this our people all the time. When Michigan came into the league, the league was strong in certain areas and you have to continue to press on and press on. But you also need some teams to drop. When I came in, Indiana went through and all of sudden they were always in there. Purdue over a period won the championship and finished last and then won another championship. Those things have to happen too because this league, when I came in was 11 (teams), now 14. It's really difficult to move up. That's all they have to do, continue with the good freshmen, have good culture, get the right kids. They have good young players and they can win with those kids as they've already shown."