PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers men's basketball team suffered it's first home loss of the season on Saturday with a 76-58 defeat at Jersey Mike's Arena against No. 24 Illinois.

RU was outrebounded 55-27 and surrendered 19 offensive rebounds to the Fighting Illini in the loss. Illinois started the game on a 14-2 run. The Scarlet Knights went on a 10-0 run in the first half and cut an early 15-point deficit to a 41-36 game at halftime. 

Rutgers was outscored 35-22 by the Illini in the second half. RU shot 20-60 from the field and made six of 13 three-point attempts. 

RU forced 17 turnovers and senior center Clifford Omoruyi had a career-high eight blocks but the effort was not enough as Illinois leading-scorer Terrence Shannon scored 23 points in the victory. Omoruyi added seven points and nine rebounds in the defeat.

Graduate guard Austin Williams scored a season-high nine points and had four rebounds and three assists. Graduate forward Aundre Hyatt had nine points. Freshman guard Gavin Griffiths knocked down two three-pointers and scored eight points. 

Sophomores Derek Simpson and Antwone Woolfolk each chipped in with seven points. 

Up next the Scarlet Knights (5-2, 1-1) will head to Winston Salem, N.C. to take on Wake Forest on Tuesday at 6 p.m.



Rutgers Postgame Notes 

• Cliff Omoruyi had a career-high eight blocks. That was the most blocks ever by a RU player in a Big Ten Conference game, and the most blocks by a Rutgers player since Hamady Ndiaye had nine blocks against St. John's on February 2, 2010. 
• Omoruyi was the Big Ten first player to record at least nine rebounds, eight blocks and seven points in a Big Ten game since Penn State's Mike Watkins in 2017 versus Nebraska. 
• Austin Williams had new season-highs in points, rebounds and assists. Williams had just one assist in his first four games, then had three assists in the opening half against Illinois.  
• The victory was Illinois' 56^th Big Ten Conference win since the start of the 2019-20 season, the most of any team in the league in that span, and seven more than the second most (Purdue, 49). Since 2019-20, Rutgers is 43-38 in Big Ten Conference games. The 43 wins are the seventh most of any league team.  

 
Postgame Quotes
 
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
 
Opening Statement: 

"I want to thank the great crowd today. Obviously it's disappointing how we played and that's on me. We talked a lot about what we needed to do in this game. It was the first time that I felt like we didn't follow through with the scouting report. But I do want to say this, I think Illinois is very good, so tip of the hat, they played really really well, they have a really good coach, they have really good players, and we obviously have to play better against a team of that caliber. I'm thankful that our crowd showed up and for their support, I thought for a few minutes there we played some really good Rutgers Basketball. But, it's a forty minute game and we just weren't on point how you need to be to beat a ranked team and a really well coached team."
 
On the rebound disparity:

"That's the most turnovers they had so far this season but again, we just didn't do what we needed to do on the backboards.We didn't get our own offensive rebounds and we missed a lot and they manhandled us on the glass. You know I'm not happy with that, I know these guys I think this team is good we gotta figure that out obviously. When you're playing a team that has size at every position, I knew that would be an issue for us but didn't think it would be that kind of an issue. But tip of the hat they had to go get them and they did and we had a few that came out of our hands and we had some offensive rebounds that just got taken from us and a lot of different things that happen when you don't rebound effectively and they got us every which way on the backboards. 
 
On shooting: 

"I will tell you they're very good, that's the first thing. But, I saw them on tape a lot and seeing them live you really appreciate the size that they have.  It's hard to finish at the rim when big guys are all over the place but I do think that we had some opportunities, we had some layups that went in and out, we had a lob dunk that maybe could have gotten the crowd going. You need all those things to happen for you and it didn't. But again, that's a good defensive team and they were much better than us today. We gotta get better, you know these guys pride themselves, we've got some good leadership in this room and we gotta get better. It's a long season."
 
On Cliff Omoruyi: 

"I thought he got some good post position today and thought he had a lot of shots that went in and out. Just wasn't his night.  He did get 8 blocks which is a career high.  Cliff does a lot of things for us.  Sometimes it is not your night.  He will get back to work but give them credit they put a lot of different bodies on him tonight and they were very physical." 
 
On Cliff getting used to being the top guy in the scouting report

"It always changes every year.  When you are the top guy on the scouting report and they have a lot of time to prepare for you he is going to get that.  He has to be better than the scouting report we talk about that a lot.  Cliff has to understand that guys are keying in on him when we throw him the ball in the post.  We are getting better at not turning the ball over but the ones we have have been when we are trying to force it down to him.  It is a team collective effort.
 
Coach on the lesson that the backcourt can learn from tonight:

"I think our backcourt first of all has to rebound for us.  It is very important that everyone rebounds.  It is on the coaches and on me to figure this out.  I didn't have these guys were they needed to be and I needed to look at my approach.  Our guards have to help out in that area and they have to block out and grab long rebounds.  They have to stick their nose in there too.  That backcourt is interesting because J Mike plays with a lot of energy and Noah is crafty.  Derek is continuing to improve as a player.  This is Big Ten basketball.  We have to get better and our 
 
Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood
 
On Rutgers:

"I have as much respect for Steve as I do anybody in college basketball and the job he has done.  This venue here is one of the best in America."
 
On how difficult it is to won on the road in the Big Ten and Rutgers:

"It is a league game.  It is a different aura about a league game.  You know every facility is going to be packed and every team is going to be prepared.  They know us better than anyone else we have played at this point.  But it is very hard.  Steve is one of the elite coaches in the country and that is a very good basketball team.  They have a record for a reason.  They are going to win a lot of games.  Cliff is one of the best defenders and best athletes in college basketball." 
 
On Noah Fernandes: 

"Noah Fernandes is one of the best on ball defenders in the country.  That dude is a pest."