BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Eugene Omoruyi scored 18 points and Caleb McConnell 17, but Rutgers (14-15, 7-13) was unable to contain the low post scoring of Indiana (17-14, 8-12) in a 89-73 loss Sunday afternoon at Assembly Hall. The Scarlet Knights are the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will meet No. 13 Nebraska in a 6:30 p.m. (ET) tip-off Wednesday at the United Center.

"We have to play a lot better than we did today," said Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell. "Usually we are very solid on the defensive end. Today we weren't. We fouled too much. We have to play with better energy. I know we are going to have to play a lot better basketball in the tournament. It's 40 minutes, or your season is over."

Rutgers out-rebounded the Hoosiers 37-33 and outscored the hosts 31-25 in bench points. The Hoosiers, however, shot 53 percent and established a 48-38 advantage in points in the paint.

Montez Mathis got Rutgers off to an early 5-0 lead as he knocked down a triple from the corner, but IU countered with a 14-2 run via a 7-of-9 shooting stretch. The Hoosiers shot 64 percent in the opening ten minutes to stretch their lead to 27-11.

Rutgers' defense kicked-in as the visitors looked to rally, holding the Hoosiers without a field goal for over four minutes and cutting the deficit to single digits behind a three-point play from McConnell. The freshman guard led the Scarlet Knights in the opening stanza with 10 points, but at the midpoint the Hoosiers held a 46-36 lead.

In the second half, IU used a 14-2 run to stretch its advantage past twenty at 68-46 with 11 minutes to play. Rutgers worked to cut into the deficit, but were unable to mount a large enough comeback to topple the Hoosiers on their senior day.

The complete bracket for the 2019 Big Ten Conference Championship can be found here. 

"Teams are dangerous all across the board," said Pikiell. "This is by far the best I've seen the league. And it was really good in my first two years. Especially for a program like us that's fighting for everything." 

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Postgame Notes

• Eugene Omoruyi scored 18 points, reaching double-digits for the 21^st time this season and 31^st time in his career. He led RU in scoring for a team-high 12th time this season. 
• Caleb McConnell scored 17 points, reaching double-figures for the sixth time this season and third straight game.
• First-year players scored 46 of the 73 points in the game for Rutgers (63 percent). 
• Rutgers made 23 free throws, its most this season. It was the most free throws Rutgers had deposited in a game since making 23 in a win at DePaul on November 17, 2016.
• Indiana made 23 free throws, the second-highest total made at the charity stripe by a Rutgers opponent this season.
• Rutgers reached the 70-point plateau for the second consecutive road game.
• The two teams split the season series, with Rutgers previously defeating the Hoosiers on Jan. 30 at The RAC. Rutgers has also won two of the last three match-ups against the Hoosiers, dating back to a victory at Madison Square Garden in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament.  

Postgame Quotes

Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell

Opening Statement: "I'd like to congratulate Indiana. Basketball is one of those where when you deserve to win, most of the time you do. And they deserved to win today. Their senior (Juwan Morgan) had an unbelievable night. And he's had a great career. He kind of put them on his back. But they played really well. And obviously, we didn't."

On takeaways heading into the Big Ten Tournament: "We have to play a lot better than we did today. Usually we are very solid on the defensive end. Today we weren't. We fouled too much. We have to play with better energy. I know we are going to have to play a lot better basketball in the tournament. It's 40 minutes, or your season is over."

On the opening stretch: "They did a good job. They got to the foul line, I thought that helped them a ton. They drove it, they played good basketball. They got the ball inside. I thought they outhustled us to the 50-50 balls. They played at a high level. Like I said, when you deserve to win, you usually do, and they deserved to win today. Archie Miller does a great job with them. They are playing at a high level right now heading into the tournament."

On the difference between the matchup in January (a Rutgers win at The RAC) and this one: "The crowd, that's a big advantage when you play at home. More guys. They had a few guys injured back then and today they had a full allotment of players. They looked more confident. Their defense was good. And they got to the free throw line. I always think that's a huge key to the game. If you can get to the free throw line, that's a huge key. And they did that. Especially in the first half."

On the Big Ten: "This is my third year, and this is the best I've seen the league by far, from 1 through 14. I think anyone can go into this tournament. Teams are dangerous all across the board. This is by far the best I've seen the league. And it was really good in my first two years. Especially for a program like us that's fighting for everything. But this year, it's the best by far, well coached, everyone has talent. It's a monster of a league, from top to bottom."