National Basketball Association
Rutgers 86, Sacred Heart 63
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Where: Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC), Piscataway, New Jersey
Officials:
# Jason Mirabito, # King Whetstone, # Brandon Cruz
Attendance:
N/A
By Field Level Media
Ron Harper Jr. led five Rutgers players in double figures with 18 points as the 24th-ranked Scarlet Knights never trailed en route to an 86-63 victory over Sacred Heart on Wednesday night in Piscataway, N.J.
Rutgers (1-0) began a season as a ranked team for the first time since 1978, but the news was not all good in a game it led by as many as 25 points.
Second-leading returning scorer Geo Baker injured his ankle attempting a 3-pointer with about four minutes left in the first half, did not return and watched the second half sporting crutches.
Harper made 9 of 18 shots and also tied a career high by grabbing 10 rebounds as Rutgers shot 60.6 percent and outrebounded Sacred Heart by a 46-31 margin.
Montez Mathis added 17 while Paul Mulcahy chipped in a career-high 15 points and tied a career high with seven assists.
Clifford Omoruyi made an impressive debut as the Scarlet Knights' starting center, collecting a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The first consensus top-50 prospect to commit to Rutgers since 2010, Omoruyi made all six of his shots and helped the Scarlet Knights produce a 72-32 edge in points in the paint.
Aaron Clarke led the Pioneers with 17 points but shot 7 of 18 from the field. Mike Sixsmith added 11 points and Matas Spokas contributed 10 for the Pioneers, who shot 37.3 percent on field-goal attempts.
Rutgers started sluggishly before gradually taking control. The Scarlet Knights took their first double-digit lead on a dunk by Harper with 5:56 remaining in the half, then went on a 15-6 run to take a 40-25 lead into intermission.
Rutgers made its first six shots of the second half and opened a 52-30 lead on a jumper by Omoruyi with 16 1/2 minutes left. Sacred Heart was within 62-48 on a 3-pointer by Sixsmith with about 11 minutes remaining, but Rutgers quickly expanded the margin again.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Sacred Heart |
|
Rutgers |
|
Aaron Clarke 17 |
Scoring |
Ron Harper Jr. 18 |
|
Aaron Clarke 4 |
Assists |
Jacob Young 8 |
|
Cantavio Dutreil 11 |
Rebounds |
Clifford Omoruyi 11 |
|
Kasparas Jonauskas 2 |
Free Throws Made |
Clifford Omoruyi 2 |
|
Aaron Clarke 3 |
Steals |
Montez Mathis 3 |
|
Cantavio Dutreil 2 |
Blocks |
Geo Baker 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Sacred Heart
|
63 |
37.3 |
9-25 |
4-9 |
15 |
29 |
3 |
6 |
14 |
| Rutgers
|
86 |
60.6 |
1-8 |
5-15 |
23 |
44 |
4 |
10 |
9 |
For more information, contact us