National Basketball Association
Rutgers 64, Northwestern 50
When: 5:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 13, 2021
Where: Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC), Piscataway, New Jersey
Officials:
# Paul Szelc, # Rob Kueneman, # Brandon Cruz
Attendance:
N/A
By Field Level Media
Jacob Young scored 15 points, Ron Harper Jr. added 14 and No. 25 Rutgers clamped down defensively in a 64-50 victory over skidding Northwestern on Saturday in Piscataway, N.J.
The Scarlet Knights (12-7, 8-7 Big Ten) won for the fifth time in six games and beat Northwestern for the second time in that stretch. They bounced back from a 13-point loss at No. 15 Iowa by rallying from an early 10-point deficit and allowing their second-fewest points this season.
Young shot 6 of 16 from the floor while Harper finished at 5 of 12 as the Scarlet Knights shot 51.3 percent (19 of 37) inside the 3-point arc and 41.1 percent overall.
Myles Johnson posted his sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds and helped Rutgers to a 30-22 margin in the paint. Caleb McConnell added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Scarlet Knights.
Northwestern (6-12, 3-11) lost its 11th straight and scored its fewest points of the season, three days after a double-overtime loss at Indiana.
Anthony Gaines and Chase Audige led the Wildcats with 11 points apiece but were a combined 8 of 21 from the floor as Northwestern shot 32.7 percent. The rest of Northwestern's starters (Miller Kopp, Ryan Young and Pete Nance) combined for 23 points on 8 of 28 shooting.
Northwestern sped out to a 14-4 lead on a jumper by Nance, but Rutgers used a 14-2 run to take its first lead on a basket by Young nearly nine minutes later. Rutgers scored the final 10 points of the half and held a 37-27 lead at intermission after Johnson converted a three-point play with 43 seconds remaining.
Northwestern went nearly nine minutes without a field goal until a basket by Young with about 14 1/2 minutes remaining. It got within 41-38 on a layup by Nance with 13:04 left.
Geo Baker ended an eight-minute scoring drought for Rutgers with a short jumper at the 10:49 mark that made it 43-38, and a little over two minutes later, McConnell's 3-pointer extended the lead to 48-40.
The lead stretched to 54-42 on a 3-pointer by Baker with 5:31 left, and following a basket by Audige that cut it to 56-49, Young sealed it on a dunk at the 2:38 mark after intercepting an Audige pass.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Northwestern |
|
Rutgers |
Chase Audige 11 |
Scoring |
Jacob Young 15 |
Boo Buie 3 |
Assists |
Caleb McConnell 3 |
Pete Nance 7 |
Rebounds |
Myles Johnson 14 |
Miller Kopp 2 |
Free Throws Made |
Ron Harper Jr. 4 |
Ryan Young 3 |
Steals |
Geo Baker 2 |
Pete Nance 2 |
Blocks |
Myles Johnson 4 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Northwestern
|
50 |
32.7 |
6-19 |
8-12 |
9 |
25 |
7 |
8 |
11 |
Rutgers
|
64 |
41.1 |
4-19 |
14-16 |
9 |
41 |
8 |
6 |
12 |