Rutgers men’s basketball defeated New Haven 81-54 in its home opener, with four different Scarlet Knights scoring 12 points or more throughout the game. After the Chargers took a 3-2 lead with 17:41 left in the first half, Rutgers retook the lead off a two-point jumper from Tariq Francis. They would hold on to that lead for the rest of the game, going up by as much as 30 points at times, before sealing the 27-point win.
Rutgers would hold New Haven to just eight points over the first 10 minutes of
the game, taking an 18-8 lead. The Knights would continue to hold the Chargers down defensively throughout the latter half of the first half, while slowly building up their lead, before an offensive explosion around the end of the first half would put the Knights up 39-23 heading into the break.
The offensive onslaught would continue into the second half, as the Knights took a 67-37 lead with 10 minutes left in the game. The Chargers would only close the gap by three points over the rest of the game.
The Knights flexed their offensive muscle in this game, hitting 30 out of their 60 shots, or 50%, while shooting nine out of 23, or 39%, from beyond the arc. Tariq Francis led the Knights in scoring with 14, along with Rasheed Jones. JaMichael Davis would add 13 points, while Gurdak would add 12 of his own. The Knights would also grab 13 offensive rebounds, which translated into 19 second-chance points for Rutgers.
Darin Smith Jr. led the Knights with 6 six total rebounds, while Davis grabbed five and Gurdak grabbed four. Smith Jr. also had an impact on the scoreboard, adding nine points for the Knights.
However, Rutgers did show some struggles defensively at times, allowing 20 baskets on 50 shots against, or 40%. New Haven also found some consistency from three, hitting seven out of 20 attempts, or 35%. Teshuan Steele and Zoumana Traora scored 15 points each and combined for 13 rebounds for the Chargers. However, for their shortfalls, Rutgers’ defense forced 17 turnovers to help seal the convincing win.
The scoring talent of Rutgers’ new roster showed in this game, with bursts of offensive brilliance at times. However, they will need to play a more consistent game, especially on defense, to compete day in and day out in the Big Ten. The Knights did have some communication mishaps that should be smoothed over the more they play together.
Rutgers men’s basketball will be back in action on Tuesday, November 10th, at home as they are set to take on NJIT at 6:30. Live coverage for that game will be available on the Big Ten Network.
