Rutgers men’s basketball defeated Bryant 72-51 on Friday in a game that was the tale of two halfs. After starting off slow both defensively and offensively in the first half, the Scarlet Knights rallied late in the second half to avoid the upset.
Rutgers held Bryant down defensively through the first nine minutes of the game, allowing them to crawl out to a 11-2 lead with just under 12 minutes to play in the first half. However, from then on out, Bryant would find its rhythm offensively, especially
in the three-point game. The Knights would do just enough offensively to have a lead at halftime as they would go into the locker room up 35-31, but the Bulldogs would have the momentum going into the second half.
Bryant would take advantage of that momentum early, grabbing a four-point lead with around 16 minutes left to play in the game. However, this would be the high-water mark for the Bulldogs, as they were outscored 35-10 for the rest of the game, allowing the Knights to secure the 21-point win.
Center Christian Gurdak led the Knights in both points and rebounds, scoring 20 points and scooping 14 rebounds to secure the double-double. Behind him in points was JaMicheal Davis with 18, while Lino Mark had 12. Mark had the second-most rebounds with 8.
Bulldogs forward Roi Behar caused issues for the Knights’ defense all game long, as he scored a total of 19 points. His three-point shooting percentage is cause for concern for Rutgers’ perimeter defense, as he hit five out of seven attempted three-pointers.
One of the main factors for the Knights’ win was their success getting to the free-throw line. Rutgers attempted 28 total free throws this game and cashed in on 20 of them.
While a 21-point win over any opponent is a reason to be happy, there were several concerning facets about the game that need to be remedied quickly, especially considering who Rutgers is playing next. The first is the slow start offensively. After limiting Bryant to just two points in the first nine minutes, Rutgers should have more than just a nine-point lead. The second is the blown defensive assignments. When Bryant was making their push, the Knights were caught in the wrong position several times defensively, leading to open looks. The third is the lack of three-point shooting, especially early on. Rutgers hit 36% of their shots from beyond the arc, which is decent; however, they only attempted 11 total and only attempted three by halftime. That is not a recipe for success in the modern age of college basketball.
The Knights will look to remedy these issues quickly, as the level of competition will take a huge jump for their next game. That game will be against No. 8 Houston at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas for the Players Era Tournament on Nov. 17 at 2 pm. Live coverage for the game will be available on ESPN.
