Saturday, November 12
Piscataway, N.J.
2 PM
Rutgers University
vs
UMass Lowell
Men's Basketball Hosts UMass Lowell on Saturday Afternoon
Nov 11 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.Y. - The Rutgers men's basketball team will host UMass Lowell (2-0) at Jersey Mike's Arena on Saturday at 2 p.m. The contest is game three of the 2022 season, after RU won its opener by 40 points on Monday night and it's second game by 38 points on Thursday night.
UMass Lowell won it's second-straight game of the season on Thursday night against Columbia, who the Scarlet Knights defeated in the home-opener.
Junior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) tallied a game-high 20 points. Senior Abdoul Karim Coulibaly (Bamako, Mali) recorded his second career double-double in as many games with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Junior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) chipped in 13 points while graduate student Everette Hammond (Silver Spring, Md.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points.
After the Lions quickly built a 13-4 lead in the opening minutes of the contest, Coulibaly converted an and-one for a three-point play, and graduate student Mikey Watkins (Roselle, N.J.) followed with a three-pointer to pull the River Hawks within three. Columbia followed with a free throw and converted a shot from deep, extending their lead to 17-10.
Rutgers last time out / Pikiell's 100th win
The Rutgers men's basketball head coach became the sixth coach in school history to eclipse 100 victories when RU defeated Sacred Heart 88-50. Pikiell has achieved many "firsts" for RU nation and one of his longest-tenured players Paul Mulcahy stood up at the postgame press conference to make sure his head coach got his accolades.
"That's a major achievement," the senior point guard said. "Coach Pikiell worked his tail off since he got here. He keeps getting better. He's always watching film. He's an incredible coach and he has done incredible things in the short time he's been here. I'm thankful he's, my coach. He doesn't talk about himself enough, but that's big time."
Pikiell is 100-91 as head coach in seven seasons. The Scarlet Knights had 19 team assists and 17 steals on the night. Senior forward Aundre Hyatt (19) and freshman point guard Derek Simpson (11) both had career-highs in points. Hyatt shot 5-7 from the field and hit all seven of his free throw attempts. Hyatt hit a pair of three-pointers and had two steals.
Junior transfer Cam Spencer from Loyola Maryland was the teams second-leading scorer with 18 points and came alive during a 17-1 run in the first half.
Junior center Clifford Omoruyi had another great night with 17 points and seven rebounds. He was 8-13 on the night and drew double teams every time he touched the ball in the first half. Omoruyi had two steals and three blocked shots. Mulcahy had another all-around game with four points, six assists, four steals and five rebounds. Forward Mawot Mag had eight points, three rebounds and two steals.
History with UMass Lowell
Rutgers is (1-0) in the team's history against the River Hawks with a 89-66 victory on Dec. 28, 2015. Senior guard Omari Grier posted 22 points and freshman point guard Corey Sanders added 20 to help the Scarlet Knights close out their non-conference campaign in convincing fashion. Head coach Steve Pikiell has never faced the River Hawks with RU.
Big Ten Conference dominance
UMass Lowell won it's second-straight game of the season on Thursday night against Columbia, who the Scarlet Knights defeated in the home-opener.
Junior Yuri Covington (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) tallied a game-high 20 points. Senior Abdoul Karim Coulibaly (Bamako, Mali) recorded his second career double-double in as many games with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Junior Ayinde Hikim (Washington, D.C.) chipped in 13 points while graduate student Everette Hammond (Silver Spring, Md.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points.
After the Lions quickly built a 13-4 lead in the opening minutes of the contest, Coulibaly converted an and-one for a three-point play, and graduate student Mikey Watkins (Roselle, N.J.) followed with a three-pointer to pull the River Hawks within three. Columbia followed with a free throw and converted a shot from deep, extending their lead to 17-10.
The 6th coach in @RutgersMBB to reach 100 wins. Congrats @CoachPikiell ❤️#TheKnighthood🛡⚔️ pic.twitter.com/sgqPBvad1r
— Rutgers Men's Basketball 🏀 (@RutgersMBB) November 11, 2022
Rutgers last time out / Pikiell's 100th win
The Rutgers men's basketball head coach became the sixth coach in school history to eclipse 100 victories when RU defeated Sacred Heart 88-50. Pikiell has achieved many "firsts" for RU nation and one of his longest-tenured players Paul Mulcahy stood up at the postgame press conference to make sure his head coach got his accolades.
"That's a major achievement," the senior point guard said. "Coach Pikiell worked his tail off since he got here. He keeps getting better. He's always watching film. He's an incredible coach and he has done incredible things in the short time he's been here. I'm thankful he's, my coach. He doesn't talk about himself enough, but that's big time."
Pikiell is 100-91 as head coach in seven seasons. The Scarlet Knights had 19 team assists and 17 steals on the night. Senior forward Aundre Hyatt (19) and freshman point guard Derek Simpson (11) both had career-highs in points. Hyatt shot 5-7 from the field and hit all seven of his free throw attempts. Hyatt hit a pair of three-pointers and had two steals.
Junior transfer Cam Spencer from Loyola Maryland was the teams second-leading scorer with 18 points and came alive during a 17-1 run in the first half.
Junior center Clifford Omoruyi had another great night with 17 points and seven rebounds. He was 8-13 on the night and drew double teams every time he touched the ball in the first half. Omoruyi had two steals and three blocked shots. Mulcahy had another all-around game with four points, six assists, four steals and five rebounds. Forward Mawot Mag had eight points, three rebounds and two steals.
History with UMass Lowell
Rutgers is (1-0) in the team's history against the River Hawks with a 89-66 victory on Dec. 28, 2015. Senior guard Omari Grier posted 22 points and freshman point guard Corey Sanders added 20 to help the Scarlet Knights close out their non-conference campaign in convincing fashion. Head coach Steve Pikiell has never faced the River Hawks with RU.
Big Ten Conference dominance
- The Big Ten improved to 20-0 with six convincing home victories last night. Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, and Rutgers combined to post an average winning margin of 31 points.
- Pikiell, who claimed his 100th victory at Rutgers with last night's 88-50 win over Sacred Heart becomes the sixth coach in program history to reach 100 wins at Rutgers and the seventh coach in the Big Ten to reach the century mark at their current institution.
- Through 20 games, the Big Ten continues to rank among the nation's statistical leaders. The conference leads the country with a .387 three-point field goal percentage and 345 assists, while its .491 field goal percentage and 99 blocked shots rank second. The Big Ten also ranks fourth with 82.0 points and 41.0 rebounds per contest.
Players Mentioned
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