PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball earned a Gavitt Games victory on Wednesday evening, downing Georgetown, 71-60. The Scarlet Knights improved to 3-1 on the young season and dropped Georgetown to 1-2.
Derek Simpson led the way with 15 points.
Gavin Griffiths and
Aundre Hyatt each had 12 and
Noah Fernandes posted 10, all in the second half.
Jamichael Davis had an early season high of nine points.
Early in the first half, Rutgers orchestrated a 9-3 scoring run and held the Georgetown offense without a field goal for 4:12. The scoring stretch fueled a 30-18 lead with 7:35 remaining. The Hoyas chipped at the Scarlet Knights advantage before halftime, with RU taking a 38-32 lead at the break. Griffiths (10) and Davis (9) led the way in the opening half with
Derek Simpson also posting nine points.
The Scarlet Knights opened the second half on fire, rolling off an 18-4 run, including 11 straight points to push their lead to 18 at 54-36 at the under-16 media timeout. The home team shot 64 percent from the field in the first 10 minutes of the second half to open up the lead.
Georgetown opened the second half shooting just 6-of-20 from the field, including 1-of-10 from three-point distance to allow RU to build its advantage. Rutgers held the Hoyas without a made field goal for a 6:14 stretch of the second half and closed out the Hoyas.
Postgame Notes
With The Win
- Rutgers won its 17th game all-time against Georgetown. The Scarlet Knights are now 12-10 at home against GU and 17-29 overall.
- Rutgers' win over the Hoyas was their first since 2010 and their second since 2004.
- Rutgers is now 2-3 in Gavitt Games matchups and are 1-1 at home in the Gavitt Games.
- It was the first win over a BIG EAST school since the 68-48 win over Seton Hall in December of 2019.
- Rutgers improved to 3-0 at home this season, 17-6 at home over the past two seasons, 27-10 at home over the past three seasons and 45-11 at home over the past four seasons.
Up Next
Rutgers hosts the Howard Bison at Jersey Mike's Arena on Saturday, November 18. The game will be streamed on B1G+ and tip-off is set for 6:00 PM.
Gallery: (11-16-2023) Men's Basketball Beats Georgetown
Postgame Quotes
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
Opening Statement
"Thank you for staying late. A great crowd. Georgetown is great and Ed Cooley is a great coach too. He really gets that program going, I was nervous getting ready for this game. We lost a starter going into practice today but these guys really stepped up. We had a great crowd, they made a huge difference. Home games are important to us and we have another coming up soon that we have to bounce quickly to. I liked how we got off 16 to 4 in the second half. We really came out and [Antwone] Woolfolk did an unbelievable job on their leading scorer. He challenged him in the first half and Wolf took on the responsibility of stopping him. [Dontrez] Styles from North Carolina is really talented and he was having his way in the first half. We forced them to commit 21 turnovers and we played well. Aundre [Hyatt] has been a great leader and Noah [Fernandes] is really starting to find himself. Everyone chipped in and we rebounded with them in the second half. This was a great night and we're on to the next one."
On Rutgers Guards
"I was nervous about their back-court and we were down a guy. Austin's been a good player for us and a good defender so these guys had to log a lot of minutes. I told them that before the game but we got a ton of confidence. Noah started shooting the ball too. He's a really good shooter. Derek just keeps on being locked into the scouting report. J-Mike (Jamichael Davis) gives us great energy off the bench. So guards did a really good job and Andre does what he does. You know Gavin came in gave us instant offense and Wolf getting down the stretch you know guarding people; really impressive. I like these guards. I like these guards a lot. They practice hard, the right way. They are good guys, and they watch film so that bodes well for us moving forward."
On second half adjustments
"I thought we did a really good job coming out of halftime. We're getting better in those areas and these guys haven't played a lot together. We just need Austin [Williams] in the mix and the best defender in the country is Mawot [Mag] and hopefully he is getting closer to being back. This group has a grit about it and Cliff [Omoruyi] recorded some huge rebounds. We need to keep him out of foul trouble but he is so controlling in the paint. Those four blocks really helped us. I think we are an 80 point team and, though we haven't gotten there quite yet, that's our mindset. This group will take that personally."
On having a veteran presence like Aundre Hyatt and Noah Fernandes
"Aundre has been consistent. He's been a voice too. They both got good looks throughout the game and shared the game. We passed the ball when we needed to. Whenever you have veterans it is a big part of what you are doing."
On NLI Signees
"I'm thankful for all of them. They're all going to be really good players. Ace certainly is a special talent. Great family. It just shows you where Rutgers is. I think that's important. It's a great academic school. We play in a great league, we sell out. We have great crowds. To get a player like that is going to be fun. People will really like watching him play."
On Wrestling at JMA Friday
"I want to make sure people come to wrestling. We're trying to sell this thing out on Friday against Virginia Tech. I will definitely be there, make sure you guys are there too to get the best wrestling program in the country. Thank you guys so much for coming."
Georgetown Head Coach Ed Cooley
On the atmosphere
"This is our third game together and our first true road test. This is one of the hardest places in the country to play. I give this school a lot of credit with their students and their supporters. This is what a Big East crowd looks like. They have one of the greatest home courts right here. Not many teams are going to walk in here and get a lot of wins. What Pikiell has done here is great. Their AD should give him another extension and another raise because I think he has deserved it based on where the program was and under his leadership they have done an incredible job and hopefully they continue to do well. I am a big fan of Coach Pikiell."
On Rutgers guards
"I think they are very good. They are mature and have been in the system. They have a hell of a crowd behind them. I think they are going to be a tough out in the Big Ten."
