PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Freshman forward Dennis Badalau scored 19 points all in the first half to lead Rutgers men's basketball past Maine, 72–60, on Monday night at Jersey Mike's Arena, as the Scarlet Knights moved to 2–0 on the season.
Rutgers jumped out early behind Badalau, who knocked down four three-pointers and tallied 19 first-half points. Head coach Steve Pikiell praised the freshman's response after a quiet debut, calling the effort a "bounce-back" performance.
The Scarlet Knights led 37–30 at halftime while shooting 46 percent from the field and 60 percent from beyond the arc after starting the game on an 11-2 run.
Rutgers maintained control throughout the second half, pushing its advantage to as many as 18 points with just over a minute remaining beginning the half on a 10-0 run. The Scarlet Knights never trailed.
Rutgers dominated several statistical categories, outrebounding Maine 37–23 while producing more points in the paint, fast-break points, and second-chance opportunities.
Freshman forward Dylan Grant recorded his first career double-double, finishing with ten points and ten rebounds after going scoreless with only one board in the first half. Pikiell said he "challenged" Grant at halftime, and credited him for responding. Junior guard Tariq Francis added 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field. Junior guard Darren Buchanan Jr. scored double digits in his second-straight game off the bench with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.
Junior guard Jamichael Davis scored eight points, had two assists, two steals, and two rebounds. Junior center Emmanuel Ogbole had seven points and five rebounds. Sophomore forward Bryce Dortch came off the bench with eight rebounds in 12 minutes on the floor.
Badalau led Rutgers in scoring and added a block. The Scarlet Knights return to action on Friday night against Lehigh at Jersey Mike's Arena at 6:30 p.m., streaming on BigTen+ and on the radio on WFAN.
Postgame Notes
- Dylan Grant had his first career double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds).
- It was his career high in rebounds.
- Denis Badalau had 19 points in the first half, including 4-of-5 on three-pointers. He was the first RU player to have four three-pointers in a half since Ace Bailey had four three-pointers in the first half against Northwestern last season on January 29, and tied for the second most points in a half by a RU player over the past two seasons.
- Tariq Francis has now made a three-pointer in 47 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in Division I.
- Bryce Dortch had a career-high eight rebounds in 13 minutes of game action.
- Darren Buchanan Jr. had his seventh career game with at least five assists.
- Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell announced in the postgame press conference that he has named Jamichael Davis as a team captain
Gallery: (11-10-2025) MBB Beats Maine
With The Win
- RU has started the season 2-0 for the 10th time over the past 11 seasons.
- Rutgers is now 6-0 against Maine all-time and 3-0 under head coach Steve Pikiell
- The last four wins and five of the six have come by double-digits
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Steve Pikiell — Opening Statement
"Tip of the hat to Maine — they played hard. They had a kid come off the bench, Isaac Bonilla, who hadn't scored a basket all year and he hits four 3s. I knew they were going to be a tough out. They hold the ball, and with the pace they play at, I knew it was going to be one of those kinds of games.
"But we did enough for some minutes there. I thought we looked really good at the start of the first half and again at the start of the second half. I challenged
Dylan Grant at halftime — he had zero points and one rebound. He had to play, and he did a good job."
On Turnovers and Rebounding
"With the pace they play at, we were on them for rebounding and a double-double. And I'll tell you — Bryce Dorch, eight rebounds in 12 minutes. I tell these guys all the time, you have to be ready. I don't know whose night it's going to be. The other night it was Reek's (
Tariq Francis). This night it was Dennis.
"I was pleased with the backboards. We still gave up too many. That is a game we should hold them in the 50s. We left too many points at the free-throw line, but some good things. We have to get to 40 [good] minutes. We probably got to 18 really good minutes today, and we have to figure out how to get to 30 minutes and then 35. Guys have to understand how important every minute is."
On Players Being Ready
"I tell these guys — you just have to be ready. You never know what it is going to take. Veterans like DG (
Dylan Grant) played well. Jay Mike (
Jamichael Davis) has been fantastic. I officially named him captain today — he earned it. He's in great shape, plus-14 in the game. He does a lot of things.
"Obviously, E (
Emmanuel Ogbole) offensively did some good things tonight, and he remains one of our best pick-and-roll defenders. And then obviously Bryce — our four returning guys really helped us a ton. That experience — you see them getting better, and Bryce is always ready. He's a good defender and he does really good stuff for us. I was proud of him. He stayed ready the whole time."
On Dennis Badalau Bouncing Back
"The first game he had some looks that he normally makes, but he was still plus-25 in the game. He does so many good things for us. Today, you saw him get it going. He can shoot it, he can put it on the deck, he's a good passer.
"As he gets more comfortable with the pace and the different styles teams play — like this team wants to play in the 40s and 50s — he will get better and better. He is a worker. These three guys —
Dylan Grant, Darren Buchanan and Dennis — work. They're good practice players too, which is really important.
"He has good size and we have to keep figuring out how to utilize him for the matchup problems he causes. You saw DG cause matchup problems too. We're moving him around — we snuck him into the middle of the zone. Once we got the ball into the middle of that zone, we had good opportunities. But Dennis — he has to keep getting better. I appreciate him."
On Dylan Grant's Double-Double
"First double-double, so I'm proud of him. In the first game it was 17 and 7, then 10 and 10 here. He's gotten so much better — he's putting the ball on the deck.
"But the thing I liked is I challenged him in front of his teammates at halftime, and he went and played in the second half — and we needed him to. There's growth there, and he's still young in his basketball game."
On Character Built Through First Two Non-Conference Games
"I think we're learning a lot about each other. I thought we should have held this team in the 50s. They got 60 last game and 53 this game, so our defense has improved.
"I think we have a chance to be a good scoring team too. We can't leave that many free throws on the docket. Dennis is too good of a shooter to be 3-for-6. He's a 6-for-6 guy. But we're growing. One thing is we always get better, and I think this group is.
"We have more pieces on the bench that are going to have to start raising up their game too, because we have some guys that can do some things."
On Dylan Grant's Performance
"I know you guys see it too — he's just a better player this year. He's more confident. He gets to the rim. He can really handle the ball too. I was really proud to challenge him — he can't have a half like that. He's too good of a player, and he had a really good half.
"For him to get his first double-double in a game where, in the first half, he wasn't doing a whole lot is a really good sign. Now he's going to string two of those together and get a 20-20 night. That's the goal."
Maine Head Coach Chris Markwood
On Rutgers
"I'm proud of the fight and the effort. We're essentially down three starters right now, and it was great to see some of our other guys — who maybe hadn't played as much in our first two games — step up under the lights on a big stage. There's still a lot we need to clean up with the controllable stuff. We weren't great from the free-throw line again tonight. We fouled them too much and put them on the line. But overall, I thought we fought. We got off to a slow start, but the guys got themselves right back into the game, and I'm proud of that. We just have a lot still to improve."
On Playing a Big Ten Caliber Team
"Rutgers — or any Big Ten team — brings size and physicality that we can't really duplicate in practice. Until you get out there, get punched in the nose a bit, settle in, and then react, it's hard to simulate. Coach Pikiell does a tremendous job with his group. I've coached against him since he was at Stony Brook, and his teams have always been physical and well-coached on both ends. I know they're young, but I think he'll do an amazing job with this group too."
