Men’s Basketball Arrives in Barcelona, Defeats Mataro All-Stars
Aug 12 | Men's Basketball
BARCELONA, Spain – Sophomore Ron Harper Jr. scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead three Scarlet Knights with double-doubles, as Rutgers defeated the Mataro All-Stars 101-72 Monday evening. Senior Shaq Carter posted 18 points and had 10 rebounds, while sophomore Myles Johnson added 10 points and 14 boards, to help RU improve to 3-0 abroad.
"It was a different kind of game," said head coach Steve Pikiell. "There were a lot of fouls called, which didn't let us get into a flow. Once we settled down…we were pretty good. A lot of guys contributed. I love the double-doubles by our bigs and Ron was terrific. Everybody chipped in. When we make the extra passes and do the little things, we have a chance to be pretty good."
Rutgers was whistled for 31 fouls, resulting in 41 Mataro free throws. Conversely, the Scarlet Knights had 26 attempts at the charity stripe, courtesy of 21 infractions.
"I like different challenges," said Pikiell. "We have to be mentally and physically tough enough to get over them and continue to play. We did a good job. I love these obstacles. It was a different kind of day for us. We traveled four and a half hours on the bus, got to the hotel, had a quick meal and then went right to the gym. Our guys toughed through it."
The Rutgers frontcourt imposed its will early and often in a contest that the visitors led by as much as 38 points. The Scarlet Knights established a 61-43 rebounding advantage and out-scored Mataro 58-26 in the paint and 26-5 in second chance points.
Sophomore Caleb McConnell paced the backcourt with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Carter (8-of-13), Harper Jr. (10-of-16), and Johnson (5-of-8) also tweaked the twine with efficiency. The Scarlet Knights made 45.9 percent (39-of-85) of their field goals, while the hosts were limited to 32.3 percent (21-of-65) shooting.
Rutgers jumped-out to an 11-1 lead and never looked back, establishing a 51-32 advantage at the midpoint. Despite battling foul trouble all evening, the Scarlet Knights continued to build their lead over the final two quarters.
Graduate transfer Akwasi Yeboah grabbed 11 rebounds and junior Jacob Young contributed six steals and five assists to help spark the convincing victory.
"We pulled away in the end in a tough and sweaty environment with the officials calling a lot of different fouls," said Pikiell.
Rutgers has out-scored its opponents 283-197 on the tour. Harper Jr. paces the team in scoring, averaging 20.0 points-per-game, while Johnson has grabbed 10.0 rebounds-per-contest.
The Scarlet Knights play their fourth and final scheduled game Wednesday against the El Maresme All-Stars in an 8 p.m. local tip-off.
Fans are encouraged to visit the team's Twitter and Instagram accounts. Highlight videos, statistics, game recaps, stories and photos will be posted throughout the tour.
"It was a different kind of game," said head coach Steve Pikiell. "There were a lot of fouls called, which didn't let us get into a flow. Once we settled down…we were pretty good. A lot of guys contributed. I love the double-doubles by our bigs and Ron was terrific. Everybody chipped in. When we make the extra passes and do the little things, we have a chance to be pretty good."
Rutgers was whistled for 31 fouls, resulting in 41 Mataro free throws. Conversely, the Scarlet Knights had 26 attempts at the charity stripe, courtesy of 21 infractions.
"I like different challenges," said Pikiell. "We have to be mentally and physically tough enough to get over them and continue to play. We did a good job. I love these obstacles. It was a different kind of day for us. We traveled four and a half hours on the bus, got to the hotel, had a quick meal and then went right to the gym. Our guys toughed through it."
The Rutgers frontcourt imposed its will early and often in a contest that the visitors led by as much as 38 points. The Scarlet Knights established a 61-43 rebounding advantage and out-scored Mataro 58-26 in the paint and 26-5 in second chance points.
Sophomore Caleb McConnell paced the backcourt with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Carter (8-of-13), Harper Jr. (10-of-16), and Johnson (5-of-8) also tweaked the twine with efficiency. The Scarlet Knights made 45.9 percent (39-of-85) of their field goals, while the hosts were limited to 32.3 percent (21-of-65) shooting.
Rutgers jumped-out to an 11-1 lead and never looked back, establishing a 51-32 advantage at the midpoint. Despite battling foul trouble all evening, the Scarlet Knights continued to build their lead over the final two quarters.
Graduate transfer Akwasi Yeboah grabbed 11 rebounds and junior Jacob Young contributed six steals and five assists to help spark the convincing victory.
"We pulled away in the end in a tough and sweaty environment with the officials calling a lot of different fouls," said Pikiell.
Rutgers has out-scored its opponents 283-197 on the tour. Harper Jr. paces the team in scoring, averaging 20.0 points-per-game, while Johnson has grabbed 10.0 rebounds-per-contest.
The Scarlet Knights play their fourth and final scheduled game Wednesday against the El Maresme All-Stars in an 8 p.m. local tip-off.
Fans are encouraged to visit the team's Twitter and Instagram accounts. Highlight videos, statistics, game recaps, stories and photos will be posted throughout the tour.
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