IOWA CITY, Iowa – Ron Harper Jr. scored a career-high 27 points and Rutgers (14-14, 7-11) had 21 assists on 30 field goals to defeat No. 22/21 Iowa (21-8, 10-8) 86-72 Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The 14-point margin of victory was the Scarlet Knights greatest on the road against a ranked foe in program history.
 
"We really got it going here today," said Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell. "We fought through some obstacles and foul trouble. We're fortunate to beat a really good and well-coached team with good players."
 
Harper was 9-of-13 from the field, 4-of-7 behind the arc, and 5-of-5 at the free throw line. His scoring output was the second-highest for an RU freshman in a regulation Big Ten game, following Corey Sanders' 28 points at Nebraska on Feb. 2, 2016.
 
"He got good looks early and he kept it going," said Pikiell. "He showed a lot of things in his game tonight. He's going to be a really good player, and he showed a dose of that. He's just scratching the surface. He can still get a lot better."

Issa Thiam added 13 points via four three-pointers, Caleb McConnell had 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting, and Montez Mathis scored 10 points on 5-of-8 field goals for Rutgers, which led by as much as 21 points.

Geo Baker posted nine points and a season-high nine assists. The nine helpers tied the most for an RU player in a regulation Big Ten contest with Sanders' output against the Hawkeyes on Jan. 21, 2016.

The Scarlet Knights shot 50.8% (30-of-59), their best mark this season against a Big Ten foe, while limiting Iowa to a 20-of-56 (35.7%) performance. RU shot 59.3% in the second half, its second-best shooting performance in a half of the season.

"It's hard to win on the road in this league," said Pikiell. "This is the best league in the country. We're a young team, we're figuring things out. We bounced back today."

The Scarlet Knights held the lead for 34:38 of the contest's 40 minutes and out-scored the Hawkeyes 36-18 in the paint and 31-26 in bench points.

Harper Jr. made two early three-pointers to help Rutgers a 14-10 lead. As the defense held Iowa to a three-minute field goal drought, RU pushed that advantage to 18-12 via a 10-3 run. The Scarlet Knights extended that advantage to 25-15 at the under-eight media timeout.

Late in the half, Thiam entered off the bench and quickly made his presence felt with a three-of-three showing behind the arc. Fueled by his sharpshooting and 16 points from Harper Jr., the visitors held a 39-30 lead at the midpoint.

Rutgers kept up that momentum to start the second half, scoring on its first three possession and using an 8-2 run to push the lead to 15. The Scarlet Knights started the frame 7-of-13 from the field, with a Baker three-pointer giving RU a 55-42 advantage with 11 minutes to go.

Baker and Harper hit back-to-back triples to extend that lead, as Rutgers led by 20 with eight minutes to play, as Iowa experienced a 10-minute field goal drought.

The Hawkeyes fought back, cutting their deficit to 12 with 3:43 to play on an 11-2 run. That push fell short, however, as Rutgers finished off the decisive victory, its first on the road against a ranked team since downing No. 13 Pittsburgh 77-64 on Jan. 26, 2008.

"We're getting better," said Pikiell. "And we're doing it in a league that is at its best since I've been here, top to bottom. Good for our guys, especially our young guys to do that in this environment here on Senior Night."

Rutgers returns home to host Penn State in its own annual Senior Night game on Wednesday, March 6, at 7 p.m. Graduate student Shaquille Doorson will be recognized for his contributions to the program in a pre-game ceremony. The contest will be televised on BTN with Brandon Gaudin and Shon Morris on the call.

Fans can secure tickets for the regular season home finale versus the Nittany Lions online or by calling 866-445-GORU (4678). Additional information can be 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

• Rutgers' seven league victories is its most in conference play in 13 years, since also winning seven in Big East play in 2005-06. The 2005-06 season was also the last in which the Scarlet Knights earned three conference road victories.
• Including the win over No. 16 Ohio State on Jan. 9, the victory marked the Scarlet Knights' second over a ranked foe. The last time RU earned wins over two ranked league opponents in a season was 2007-08, with consecutive Big East defeats of No. 18 Villanova and No. 13 Pittsburgh.
• The win signals Rutgers' sixth victory against a ranked foe in a true road game and the first since defeating No. 13 Pittsburgh 77-64 on Jan. 26, 2008.
• The 14-point margin of victory was the Scarlet Knights greatest on the road against a ranked foe in program history.
• The Scarlet Knights' 21 assists were their most ever in a Big Ten game and were RU's most in a conference game since also dishing-out 21 against Syracuse on Jan. 21, 2005.
• It was Rutgers' second Quadrant 1 victory this season, providing RU eight victories from the top two quadrants.
• It was Rutgers' largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game this year and largest margin of victory in a road win.
• In its seven Big Ten victories, the Rutgers bench has outscored its opponent by an average of 10.5 points. The Scarlet Knights have averaged 21.5 bench points in league wins, while holding foes to 11.0.
• Rutgers made 11 three-pointers, its most ever in a Big Ten game.
• Rutgers shot 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from behind the arc, its best percentage this season in a conference game.
• Iowa entered the game ranked second in the Big Ten in both assists (15.9) and scoring offense (80.0), while ranking 29^th and 36^th nationally in those categories, respectively. Rutgers held the Hawkeyes to 72 points and 12 assists, below their average in both categories.
• Freshman Ron Harper Jr. scored a career-high 27 points, his ninth game in double digits this season and seventh against a Big Ten opponent.​
• Harper's scoring output was the second-highest for an RU freshman in a regulation Big Ten game, following Corey Sanders' 28 points at Nebraska on Feb. 2, 2016.
• Geo Baker had a season-high nine assists. The nine helpers tied the most for an RU player in a regulation Big Ten contest with Corey Sanders' output against the Hawkeyes on Jan. 21, 2016.
• Freshman Montez Mathis posted 10 points, his 13^th game scoring in double figures and 11^th versus a Big Ten foe.
• Issa Thiam scored 13 points, reaching double digits for the fourth time this season and first time since November 16.
• Caleb McConnell scored 11 points, his fourth time in double-figures this season.
• Rutgers' starting lineup consisted of Geo Baker, Montez Mathis, Ron Harper Jr., Eugene Omoruyi and Shaquille Doorson. The Scarlet Knights have utilized six different starting lineups this season.
• The Scarlet Knights are 2-1 in their last three games against the Hawkeyes.

POSTGAME QUOTES

Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
Opening Statement: "Great environment today. It's always a tough place to place. Congratulations to Nicholas Baer on the career he's had, his Senior Night today, he's a really good player. We really got it going here today. We fought through some obstacles and foul trouble. We're fortunate to beat a really good and well coached team with good players. It's hard to win on the road in this league. This is the best league in the country. We're a young team, we're figuring things out. We bounced back today.

On the defense: "Iowa is good in a lot of areas. It's not just one thing when you play them. They have good inside players, they make threes, they make free throws. You can't just do one thing defensively against them. You have to do all those things. I thought the first half especially we sat down and guarded them. They are a hard team to play, they have a lot of weapons."

On winning on the road: "We're getting better. And we're doing it in a league that is at its best since I've been here, top to bottom. Good for our guys, especially our young guys to do that in this environment here on Senior Night. We have our Senior Night coming up, and we're on to the next game."

On Ron Harper Jr.: He's getting better and better. He's been practicing better. He's had some really good games. He got good looks early and he kept it going. He showed a lot of things in his game tonight. He's going to be a really good player, and he showed a dose of that. He's just scratching the surface. He can still get a lot better."

Rutgers Sophomore Geo Baker
"This was a good response for us. To come out like we did on the road, I'm really proud of my teammates and our coaches. I thought we fought really hard today to come out with a big win. We had a good game plan coming in defensively. We just stayed focused down the stretch and were locked in on all the little details until that final buzzer sounded.""
 
Rutgers Freshman Ron Harper Jr.
"It was important to get off to a good start. Iowa is a team that can five threes in a row and set the tempo. So us coming out and hitting our shots and going up early was a big key to us winning the game. All credit to my teammates, they found me for open shots. I got a feel for the game and so I just kept putting them up."