NEWARK, N.J. - Rutgers men's basketball re-claimed the Garden State Hardwood Classic Trophy with a victory over their in-state rivals on Saturday night. Behind an outstanding three-point shooting performance, making 50% (12-of-24) of their shots behind the arc, RU defeated Seton Hall 70-63 at the Prudential Center. 

With the victory, Rutgers improved to 6-3 on the season, claiming the team's first road win of the season. It was the first road win against Seton Hall since 2013, and RU recaptured the Garden State Hardwood Classic Trophy for the first time since 2019.

The Scarlet Knights were led by Joe Calabrese Game MVP Clifford Omoruyi, who had an excellent all-around performance with 11 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks. Noah Fernandes had a game-high 19 points, while RU also got 11 points from Jamichael Davis and Gavin Griffiths. RU shot 41 percent for the game from the field and collected 39 rebounds. 

Rutgers took a 33-25 lead into halftime. The visitors made seven triples in the opening half, with freshman standout Gavin Griffiths pacing the squad by tweaking the twine for nine points, all coming from long range. 

The Scarlet Knights, who led for 36:24 in the game and never trailed, led by as much as 17 points in the second half. The visitors were in control down the stretch, leading by double-digits from the 11:24 mark until their was 1:17 left into the final frame. The late Pirates push was thwarted and the Scarlet Knights held on for the road win. 



Postgame Notes 

• Rutgers earned its first road win over Seton Hall since 2013  
• Rutgers earned its first win over Seton Hall since 2019 and are now 3-3 in the last six meetings with Seton Hall  
• Rutgers claimed its 32nd all-time win over Seton Hall  
• Rutgers made 12 three-pointers, its most in a game since making 12 at Minnesota on January 22, 2022.  
• Jamichael Davis recorded a new career-high in points (11) and assists (six) 
• Noah Fernandes tied his season-high with 19 points.  
• Cliff Omoruyi had his third double-double of the season (11 points, 13 rebounds).  
• He became the 46^th RU player to reach 1,000 career points.  
• Omoruyi now has 747 career rebounds, moving past Dane Miller for 8^th all-time at RU in rebounds.  
• Omoruyi had his sixth game this season with at least four blocks. In his last six games, he has averaged 5.0 blocks per game.  
  • In his last three games he has 18 blocks (6.0 blocks per game).  
• Omoruyi is the first player in Division I college basketball this season to have at least 11 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks. It was done just four times last season.
• Mawot Mag returned to action for the first time this season after injuring his knee in the win over Michigan State on Feb. 4 of last season. He provided a lift for the squad with eight rebounds and four points in 24 minutes of action.

Postgame Quotes

Head Coach Steve Pikiell

Opening statement:
 
"First, it is always a great environment when we come here. I want to thank Shaheen Holloway for playing the game. I challenged our guys and just am proud. Mawot Mag was back today. You guys don't know the journey that it has been with the rehab. Those social media graphics don't tell the story. He has been religious about his rehab, and we have great doctors here at Rutgers. Our rehab guys are outstanding. To have him back today was just a lift in every area. College basketball is getting old and when you don't have a player who has been through the war and you're playing with young guys it's not easy. Cliff Omoruyi scored his 1,000th point and continues to lead the country with block shots. We will continue to get better, and we got a good lift from all of our guys. I thought they had a great focus. But another Seton Hall team that I have a ton of respect for. They are always tough to play here and a big step for us right now.  This group was connected, and I am proud of them.
 
Pikiell on how Omoruyi's dominant defensive performance helps the team:
 
"When he plays like that, he is a problem. When we added some experience here another eight rebounds from Mawot and Cliff does a lot of great things. He had two straight days of great practices and really good leadership. I was proud of him. He is a problem when he plays like that and causes a lot of problems in the lanes when he blocks and alters a ton of shots."
 
Pikiell on Jamichael Davis earning his first start:
 
"He has been good the last three games. He had 11 assists and zero turnovers and tonight six assists and two turnovers. He is a high-energy guy with tremendous toughness. We just changed things up and have Mawot too. I loved how the guys who came off the bench responded. Every guy was ready to play. Gavin Griffiths was ready and Oskar Palmquist came in and hit a three. Derek Simpson does a great job down the stretch. Antwone Woolfolk grabbed five rebounds. Everybody did a really good job and having J-Mike in the lineup he changes things and is super quick. Tonight, he got people involved and he made shots. He has a chance to be a really good defender."
 
Mawot Mag on his excitement on his first game back:
 
"My teammates and coaches were there for me. It was great to be out there and it was a long time coming. It was great to be out there with my brothers and have fun and compete in this atmosphere. It was great to be out there."
 
Pikiell on Mawot boost to the team:
 
"To have a veteran guy whose teammates love him is great. He is versatile and guards everybody. He grabbed eight rebounds in his first game back. I think he is stronger than ever."
 
Pikiell on the improvement after two losses:
 
"They were locked in. You grow from those challenges that you have. Illinois is a very good team. Our young guys are going through a lot and learning a lot. We lost Austin Williams today and didn't have him and he is a really good player. Big Emmanuel Ogbole is coming too so we are bringing in two new men in the fold and that would be important for us going forward." 
 
Cliff Omoruyi on having fun out there today:
 
"I think it was everything.  Just having my brother and roommate Mawot back was great. When I see fans like that supporting it just boosts my emotions and my teammates got my back. Everybody was playing great defense and talking to each other. We are happy for each other."
 
Pikiell on the big commitments the past couple days:
 
"Great couple of days for Rutgers University. We will get some of the best players in the country now coming to play in our program. It is a credit to these guys they made it that way.It is a hard place to come play and kids want to be a part of that. It was a great week, and we had some challenges early on too  I like how we responded, and we will continue to get better. With these two captains here playing a lot of minutes, that will help us. "
 
Pikiell on Noah Fernandes' performance:
 
"He was fantastic. He wasn't feeling great yesterday either. He really gave us some great leadership. He made big shots and made his free throws down the stretch. He is a really good defender too. We ask a lot of him in his first year here and these guys like him." 
 
Pikiell on the importance of the game:
 
"We haven't played as well as we would like. I just wanted our guys to be locked in tonight and they know the importance of the game. I wanted to paint the state red. I tell these guys all the time to believe in yourself and believe in what we are doing. We are going to be a good basketball team and I think we showed that tonight." 
 
Pikiell on the team's best three-point performance this season tonight:
 
"I have been saying this all year. I think we are a good shooting team and you saw a lot of guys making threes tonight. That was just part of it; we didn't want to foul them because we knew that was one of their biggest strengths. We gave up way too many points from the free-throw line. Our guys can shoot, and we trust them when they are doing it." 
 
Omoruyi on winning back the trophy: 
 
"It is a great feeling. Just seeing the trophy and the MVP trophy I am super excited."
 
Pikiell on the state of the rivalry with Seton Hall:
 
"I think it is awesome and I am thankful for Shaheen for continuing the series. I think it is great for New Jersey basketball. I think they are a great program and looking forward to getting them back to Jersey Mike's."  

Up Next

Rutgers returns to Jersey Mike's Arena next Saturday. The Scarlet Knights host LIU on Saturday, December 16 at 1 p.m.