PISCATAWAY, N.J. -  The Scarlet Knights rocked Jersey Mike's Arena on Wednesday night.

Rutgers defeated Nebraska 87-82 behind a performance where all five starters scored in double-figures, the team grabbed a Big Ten record 56 total rebounds and finished the game shooting 8-for-8 from the free throw line in overtime to secure the win. 

Rutgers started hot, making five of its first seven shots in the game. Nebraska countered with a 7-of-12 start shooting for a high scoring opening segment, as their 58%-mark helped give the Huskers a 19-14 lead at the under-12 media timeout.  

Minnesota went on a 14-3 run before Mawot Mag and Gavin Griffiths answered with three-pointers. Rutgers countered with a run of their own and an 11-1 spurt for the home team got the crowd loud as RU retook the lead at 34-33.  

The defense clamped down on the Huskers down the stretch, forcing them to shoot just 2-of-12 in the final 8:30 of the frame, with no field goals in the final 6:24. The Scarlet Knights outscored the visitors 21-9 in that closing stretch, and were tied, 36-36 at halftime.  

After an Aundre Hyatt triple started the scoring in the second half, Nebraska got hot with a 14-3 run. Freshman Gavin Griffiths hit a smooth three off a catch-and-release, as RU got back within five at 51-46.  

The Huskers had another run from there, going on a 12-5 stretch behind a trio of long-range makes. But then a field goal drought for the visitors allowed RU to close within 65-60 with six minutes to play, forcing a Nebraska timeout.  
 

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RU responded with an 8-0 run and recaptured the momentum with the defense locking down the Huskers.  

The home team pulled within three on a Cliff Omoruyi dunk and got back within one on a Mawot Mag layup. RU tied the game on a free throw with 19.8 seconds to play. Despite Nebraska being unable to make a field goal in the final 9:39 of the second half, they were able to score just enough points at the free throw line. The game went into overtime tied at 69-69.  

In overtime, an Aundre Hyatt three-pointer gave RU a 74-71 lead, before Keisei Tominaga answered for Nebraska, their first field goal in over 11 minutes of action.  

A layup from Omoruyi and then a three-pointer from Austin Williams gave RU a 79-74 lead with two minutes to play in overtime, Rutgers' largest lead of the night.  

With 40 seconds to go in OT, Nebraska cut RU's lead to 81-79.  RU extended the score to 83-79 at the free throw line, but Nebraska answered with a three-pointer to cut it to one-point. Noah Fernandes extended the lead to 85-82 at the charity stripe, and the defense held at the other end to close out the victory.  
 
Postgame Notes 

• Rutgers had 56 rebounds; the team's most ever rebounds in a Big Ten game.  
• Rutgers' 25 offensive rebounds was the most for the team since 26 against Michigan on Feb. 1, 2020 in Madison Square Garden. It's just the third time in the last seven seasons that RU has had more than 21 offensive rebounds in a game, and the first time in the past seven seasons that RU has had more than 21 offensive rebounds in a game at Jersey Mike's Arena.
• Rutgers' 87 points was the sixth points most ever scored by the team in a Big Ten game. 
• Rutgers' 78 field goal attempts were the team's third most ever in a Big Ten game, and the 30 free throw attempts tied for the 4th most ever by the team in a Big Ten game. 
• Rutgers scored 80+ points for the third time this season.  
• Rutgers played its first overtime game since defeating No. 15 Ohio State on January 15 of last season.  
• Rutgers had all five starters score in double-figures, the first time all five starters scored in double-figures for the first time since the 2022-23 opener against Columbia, and the second consecutive home game with five double-figure scorers.  
• Cliff Omoruyi had his sixth double-double of the season and 26^th of his career (14 points, 15rebounds) 
• Cliff Omoruyi had four blocks and moved past Eric Clark for sixth all-time in blocks in Rutgers history (186 career) 
• Omoruyi, who entered the game second in the nation in blocks, now has multiple blocks in 14 of 17 games this season, at least three blocks in 12 games this season and at least four blocks in nine games. 
• Omoruyi's 15 rebounds were his most ever against a Big Ten team and the fourth most ever by a RU player in a Big Ten game. 
• Mawot Mag (16 points) has scored in double-figures in five straight games, the longest streak of his career of 10+ point games (6 total this season, 14 total in his career). In his last five games, he has averaged 15.2 points per game.  
• Aundre Hyatt scored in double-figures for a team-leading 11^th time, finishing with a team-high 17 points.  
• Derek Simpson had a career-high eight assists and tied his career-high with eight rebounds.  
• Simpson (14 points) scored in double-figures for the fifth time in the past eight games.  
• Simpson is one of just two Rutgers' players since 2010 with at least 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. The other is Corey Sanders, in a 2016 triple overtime game against Illinois (39 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds). Only two other players in the nation have reached that line this season, and it has occurred just twice, including Simpson's performance, in a Big Ten game since 2017.  

With The Win 

• Rutgers' improves to 9-1 at home this season, 23-7 at home over the past two seasons, 33-11 over the past three seasons and 51-12 at Jersey Mike's Arena in the past four seasons.  
• Rutgers has now won five of the past seven meetings against Nebraska and six of the last nine games since 2019.  

Postgame Quotes
 
Head Coach Steve Pikiell
 
Opening Statement:

"Great crowd and great basketball game. Nebraska is terrific, they have beaten a lot of really good teams and they cause many problems. We didn't have a lot of time to prepare for this. I'm very thankful the crowd and the students were here. Our students are back and we were very connected today. I'm very happy we're getting healthier and it was a great environment. Fred [Hoiberg] has done a terrific job and has gotten great players in the portal. Great team win today. We outrebounded a good rebounding team and now we have to go on the road again."
 
On setting a program record for rebounds:

"That wasn't one of our strengths early on. The guards were really challenged and Austin [Williams] coming back from his injuries set a spark for us, as well as Mawot [Mag] and Aundre [Hyatt]. It's a team effort because we were not really good in that area for a while and it hurt us. We'll get more guys back here soon too. The team that usually rebounds is the team that wins."
 
On Nebraska scoring droughts:

"We were locked in and didn't have a lot of time to prepare. They are a hard team with hard sets. Tomanaga is a problem and they have a point in mixing position. Their center can play as their point guard. Brice Williams is also a heck of a player. The backboards really were the key in getting us where we needed to be, we got a lot of second opportunities."
 
On how this win affects moving season forward:

"It's always a challenging season, and this league is challenging. We got to keep doing what we're doing. I tell these guys, games aren't won on computers, they're won with the work and preparation you do. For only having a day to prepare, these guys did a fantastic job at locking in, they watched a ton of film, but it's nice to be at home too. It's a tough league to go on the road in. The home crowd gives us a huge advantage too. So, we're thankful for that, and we'll keep getting better."
 
On Clifford Omoruyi:

"They double team all the time in the post. Every night Cliff goes up against different defenses that do different things against them so he has to soak in whatever the game plan is quickly. And we have to do a really good job but team's mark him down first on the scouting report. So he always has to be better than the scouting report and tonight he was just so active. I just loved his approach, he had a great practice yesterday, I'm just real proud of him."
 
On all starters in double-digits:

"Our bench helps us too. Noah [Fernandes] comes in and makes two huge free throws. Gavin [Griffiths] came in and made a couple big shots for us. J-Mike [Jamichael Davis] always plays great defense. Oskar [Palmquist] is always an energy guy. Wolf [Antoine Woolfolk] came in and gave us a good spark and we went on a run. It was good to give Cliff a couple minutes of rest. But when your starters all score in double figures, that's a good sign. This group has only started a few games together with Austin's and Mowat's injuries."
 
On Jeremiah Williams & Emmanuel Ogbole:

"It's not up to me, but they are both really close."
 
Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg:

On Rutgers 56 rebounds:

"They're an incredibly physical team. It's everything that you talk about going into it. You have to find a way to match up with this group. It's what Steve Pikiell hangs his hat on. It's what his teams do every time they step on the floor and they just flat out out-toughed us tonight on the glass. It's too bad. If you find a way to get a couple of those rebounds at the end then we're walking out of here with a pretty damn good win in a tough building and a really good environment. But we need to find a way to learn from it like every game. Whatever the result, you need to find a way to learn from it. And we have a tough game coming up in two days. We can't have a hangover from this one. We need to get in the film room tomorrow and figure out what we can do better to find a way to grind out those rebounds. Rebounding is all about heart, guts, toughness, and they beat us tonight in pretty much every way you can on the glass. 25 offensive rebounds obviously not gonna win a lot of games."
 
On Juwan Gary injury:

"I know he's pretty sore, I know that. But I don't want to speculate before we get some tests tomorrow on him. We are hoping for the best."
 
On second half:

"They amped up the pressure and I didn't think that our cuts had the same purpose that we had the end of the first half as well after we built that twelve point lead. We didn't execute, coming out that last play of the game. We went too early and turned the ball over. We get another opportunity and throw a one in ten pass. I think we might have had Keisei (Tominaga)coming back off of that. At least he got the shot up and then you know jack up a 20 footer when I said go get a quick two. You need to find a way to execute. We've been a pretty damn good offensive team all year. Need to give Rutgers credit they made it difficult on us. Again, when the pressure ramps up like that you have to find what you can. You need to get some backups, you need to curl, and have to cut harder. We just didn't have that same purpose that we had early in the game when we built the lead and then when we built it back up in the second half."
 
On Rutgers' defense:

"They're always tough. They are always tough defensively, and that's that's who they are; that's what this program is built on, toughness, and grit. Steve Pikell is an unbelievable basketball coach who does such a good job. His guys go out there and play with that type of toughness every time they step on the floor. That was the single biggest thing that I talked about coming into this. We have to take care of the ball, which we didn't do a good job of late in the game, and we have to find a way to match them on the glass and obviously, they dominated us in that area. So we just have to find a way and again, learn from this one, and grow from it. We need to find a way to bounce back from the last two road games. A lot of teams in this league have lost road games, so we can't sit here hanging our heads and let this one affect what we have to do on Saturday."

Up Next 

Rutgers will hit the road over the weekend to play at No. 14 Illinois team on Sunday afternoon. The team has no mid-week game the following week before hosting No. 2 Purdue on Sunday, January 28.