Box Score QUEENS, N.Y. – The Rutgers men's basketball team's season kicked off with a thriller at Carnesecca Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Head coach
Steve Pikiell and St. John's head coach Rick Pitino collaborated to play an exhibition game benefitting the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund at the Jimmy V Foundation. RU lost the game 89-78 in double-overtime.
Rutgers battled back from a 20-point deficit in the second half to force the game to extended time. The Scarlet Knights were fueled by their defense that held St. John's to just 25 percent from the field in the second half.
"Dick Vitale is a legend in coaching in college basketball," Pikiell said. "I am very thankful that Coach Rick Pitino allowed this game for the V Foundation. Jim Valvano was a Rutgers guy. I appreciate everyone coming out to support. I learned a lot about my team today. We got to work on a lot of stuff. It is a good group. We could have just rolled over, but we kept playing. It was a heck of a game. They came out on the winning-side, but I think it's a win for everyone. A win for pediatric cancer, a win for Dick Vitale, Jimmy V, and Coach Greg Schiano with a big dub at Indiana. It was a good day for a lot of people."
Senior center
Clifford Omoruyi led Rutgers with a team-high 16 points, nine boards (three offensive), and two blocked shots. Freshman
Jamichael Davis came off the bench with 16 points, six rebounds and two assists. Davis was six-of-10 from the field.
The Red Storm opened the game on an 11-0 run. Freshman wing
Gavin Griffiths made his first basket of the game to cut the deficit to 11-4 before the first media timeout.
To end the first half, the Johnnies went on a 7-0 run to force the lead to 41-23 at halftime.
In the second half, Rutgers was down as many as 20 points. A 12-2 stretch that spanned over four minutes in the middle of the period brought the Scarlet Knights back within striking distance. The scoring run was ignited by back-to-back three-pointers from Griffiths.
Grad student guard
Noah Fernandes nailed a three-ball to bring the Scarlet Knights within a point (60-59) before the last media timeout of regulation. Fernandes gave the Scarlet Knights their first lead of the game since the opening minutes (61-60) on a steal-and-score with 46 seconds left in the contest.
"This was a super fun game," Fernandes said. "I think in the second half we came out with a little more energy. Even after that deficit. We've been through that on the foreign tour in Senegal. We have faced adversity early and we knew we had each other's backs. We knew we would be alright and we knew we would compete."
In the final two minutes, sophomore guard
Derek Simpson converted a fast break layup to give RU the 67-66 lead with 82 seconds remaining in the game. St. John's made one free throw to nod the score at 67-67 with 17 seconds to play, sending the game into overtime.
Gallery: (10-21-2023) MBB Takes on St. John's in Exhibition
In the first overtime session, both teams traded baskets until the newcomers Griffiths and guard
Jamichael Davis converted five consecutive points to give RU a 74-71 lead with 90 seconds remaining.
Following multiple offensive rebounds on the Johnnies last possession of overtime, Nahiem Alleyne nailed a three-pointer sent the game into double overtime.
In double overtime, St. John's went on a 14-3 run to claim the victory.
Griffiths scored 14 points on three three-pointers and the freshman added five rebounds in the game. Simpson scored nine points, had four rebounds and five assists in a hard-fought game. Fernandes had seven points, two assists, and two steals. Grad forward
Aundre Hyatt added seven points and four rebounds.
Up next, the Scarlet Knights will open up the season against Princeton on Nov. 6 in Trenton at Cure Insurance Arena.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Steve Pikell
Pikiell on the team defensively looking better in the second half:
"They were really good offensively and we turned the ball over a ton, so they got a lot of opportunities. It's a good team at St. John's. Those kids are all-league players from all over. It was the first game on the road too. I thought we settled down and played Rutgers basketball in the second half. We have a lot of new faces. There were certainly some positives for us. A lot of guys contributed for us. Gavin and J-Mike got their first opportunity. So, some good signs for us, but we have to shoot the ball better and make free throws and that's what we can't do when you are on the road against a team like that."
Pikiell on Gavin Griffiths and Jamichael Davis:
"I thought they were good. They certainly got to get better, but they played hard. We have to get better as a team. We got another one coming up and then we have Princeton."
Pikiell on the takeaway from the final stretch to force overtime:
"We were down 20 points at one point. We just have to make timely rebounds and make a couple more free throws. We learned a lot from this.
Pikiell on Clifford Omoruyi's performance:
"He is so talented and gives us an anchor in the middle both defensively. He was tested tonight which is good and I thought they went at it which was good. We have to get Cliff the ball more during stretches, especially when we aren't shooting the ball well. Cliff is good and he has improved. He's going to have a great year for us."
Pikiell on how much today was an experimentation and how much was trying to win the game:
"You always try to win the game, but the reason I like to play closed scrimmages is because I like to try different lineups and do things like that but when you open it up it's different. We got a lot out of this scrimmage and I'm thankful to Coach Pitino and St. John's. I have a ton of respect for the program. They have talented guys they are going to have a heck of a year. You are trying to figure your guys out. We had ten guys that got some minutes and got their feet wet. But yes, it is a combination of both you always try to win, but also try to see some guys too."
Pikiell on Mawot Mag's status:
"We aren't ready to put him in the middle of games yet. We are bringing him on along at the right pace and Emmauel (Ogbole) too. We will get those guys back. (Antonio) Chol gave us some really good minutes.
Antwone Woolfolk at the four spot too, so some of those guys got opportunities. You don't want anyone to be hurt, but it gives other guys chances. But we certainly missed Mawot's defense tonight. We played Rutgers defense in the second half.
Pikiell on St. John's:
"They are talented. They have a Hall of Fame coach and they are going to play hard. I thought overall for us it was great to play someone else and someone that has this quality of coach and I'm thankful for all the people that showed up. Hopefully, we have a nice check for the V Foundation."
Point Guard Noah Fernandes
Fernandes on Jamichael Davis and Gavin Griffith's' play in their first game:
"When I fouled out, Jamichael really stepped up. He had 16 points. Gavin made big shots and big plays on defense. They will just keep getting better and better as the year goes on. They have been amazing up to this point and they will learn more. They will be the heart of the team and the heart of the program going forward."
Fernandes on playing again on a big stage:
"It was really fun to compete and hit a couple of shots. I got some steals too; it was great to run around with my team and fun to get back out there."
Fernandes on Cliff Omoruyi's impact on the team:
"He was super dominant and super-efficient. In the first half, he made his first three shots. I tried to give him more looks in the second half. He's just so good. He works so hard and he's so talented."
Fernandes on the team's tempo:
"We play full court man and when we play in a different arena with opposing fans it's really a different vibe. There is a different type of energy, so as the game went on, we felt the pressure and decided to use their pace. We controlled the game well in the second half with our pace both offensively and defensively. This was our first game, so as the season goes on, we can adjust to these types of things."
Fernandes on what he learned about the team during the overtime stretch:
"Rutgers basketball is all about adversity. We just kept pushing and playing. That's the group of guys we have. We have 15 guys and coaches who are all like that. We're never going to give up and Rutgers fans don't give up on us."
Postgame Notes
- Davis scored 16 points (5-11 FG, 6-10 FT) and had six boards in 33 minutes of action.
- Griffiths added 14 points (5-15 FG, 3-8 3PT) with five rebounds in 33 minutes.
- Simpson had nine points, five assists, four rebounds, and three steals.
- Both teams shot exactly 37 percent from the field.
- Rutgers forced 16 turnovers, including ten steals that resulted in 19 points.
- The Scarlet Knights had assists on 14 of their 28 made field goals in the contest.
- RU's bench outscored St. John's, 32-21.
- Rutgers dominated the paint with 42 points, compared to St. John's 32.
