Rutgers lost the second game of their road trip to Iowa 68-62. Despite the Scarlet Knights leading for a decent portion of the game, their poor ball handling and inability to score off the turnovers they caused ultimately led to their downfall.
Rutgers would start the game on the attack, as Kaden Powers would open the game with a three-pointer, with Darren Buchanan hitting a shot of his own, as the Knights would go up 5-0 before two minutes came off the play clock. Iowa would get on the board after
a Rutgers turnover to score its first points of the night. Both teams would struggle with their shooting early on, as the game would be tied 5-5 after five minutes. Scoring would remain low over the next five minutes of the game, as both teams would combine for 10 made field goals over the first 10 minutes of play. Both teams would find their three-point game over the last 11 minutes of the first half, as Iowa would go on a 15-6 run in the last eight minutes of the half to go into the lockerroom up 31-24.
Powers would again start the scoring in the second half with a three-pointer. The Knights would go on a 7-0 run to start the half to tie up the game at 31 before Emmanuel Ogbole would slam down a dunk to give Rutgers the lead. The lead would change hands a handful of times over the first 10 minutes of the second half, with the Knights holding a four-point lead after the first half of the second quarter. However, just as they did in the first half, Iowa’s offense would find life late in the half to pull off the close win.
Rutgers’ biggest struggle of the night wasn’t their shooting percentage overall. They struggled from three, hitting only 28 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, but they hit 43 percent of their overall field goals. The issue was getting shots up overall. The Knights committed 7 more turnovers than their opponent and had seven fewer overall shots than their opponent. The 19 turnovers that Rutgers committed turned into 19 points for Iowa. They also struggled to score when they generated turnovers as well, as they only got 11 points off 12 Iowa turnovers.
However, there are several things the Knights did well in this game. They out-rebounded Iowa 31-24. They grabbed two more offensive rebounds than their opponent. However, this did not translate into more points as both teams scored 5 second-chance points.
They also shot well from the line, hitting 79 percent of their free throws, which turned into 19 points.
Darren Buchanan Jr. had one of his best games as a Knight, as he scored 17 points, going 6 of 7 on free throws. Ogbole had a good night as well, scoring eight points and grabbing 10 rebounds while keeping his play clean with only two fouls.
Rutgers men’s basketball will be back in action on Friday, January 23rd, at 6 pm as they are set to return home to take on Indiana. Live coverage for the game will be provided by FS1.
