Geo Baker stepped up in critical road win for Rutgers at Penn State

Good teams win at home. Great teams win on the road. Nobody is calling the Rutgers men’s basketball team great, but it is a step in the right direction as the Scarlet Knights did just both this past week.

Rutgers went 2-0 with a home win at the Rutgers Athletic Center on Monday against Nebraska and then it followed that up with a victory on Saturday on the road at Penn State. It was the first time Rutgers secured back-to-back Big Ten regular season triumphs since joining the conference.

The Scarlet Knights have now won five out of its last seven games versus the Nittany Lions.

“Anytime you come into this environment and win a game on the road, it’s a good day. This is the toughest league in the country especially on the road. We were a couple points better today,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said in his postgame press conference after his team won 64-60. “I like Penn State a lot and coach does a good job. They’re in every game as you can see. We made some big free throws at the end there and come out with a hard-fought win. ...It was a good day for Rutgers basketball.”

Throughout the years, Rutgers has picked off ranked teams or upper-echelon teams in the country at home, only to follow it up with a dud no matter where the next contest takes place. Getting a win away from its comfort zone was critical for the young Scarlet Knights.

“Very important. This is a tough league,” Pikiell in an interview with BTN. “When you can go on the road and steal a win it’s a good thing. We’re young, but we’re getting better.”

The two teams battled all game long. There were eight ties and 12 lead changes during the contest including seven and eight respectively in the second half.

In the end, though, the Scarlet Knights fought through some sloppy play and made their free throws when it mattered most -- seven to be exact -- in the final three minutes. Down the stretch, Rutgers’ two leaders, Baker and Eugene Omoruyi, were clutch with the game on the line.

Baker led Rutgers with a team-high 20 points. He also had three assists and just one turnover in 36 minutes. He shot 7-of-15 from the floor and went 4-of-6 from the foul line.

Lamar Stevens recorded a game-high 21 points for Penn State.

“We knew this was going to be a war. Stevens is a problem. Down the stretch they got the ball in his hands. Tip of the hat to Geo Baker for making big plays down the stretch. Eugene Omoruyi made four big free throws. We made some big stops. These close games, that's what it comes down to. This is a good sign for us, we win two in a row, and I think this team will continue to get better,” Pikiell said.

“Geo had a good swagger today. He really ran our team. I was real proud of him. Down the stretch he had the ball in his hands and he made good decisions. We got good looks. Even the layup he missed was a good look. When he plays that way it helps us a good deal and gives the younger guys confidence.”

After a pair of 3-pointers helped the Nittany Lions take an 8-4 lead early on, a timeout by Pikiell slowed things down for Rutgers, which would go on a 9-3 run.

Although everyone didn’t have their best games, different players had key moments whether it be a bucket or rebounds, which contributed to the win.

“I thought we had some good focus. They jumped on us early and we kind of settled down after a timeout and played better. I like our improvements,” Pikiell said. “We just keep plugging away.”

The day prior to the Rutgers-Penn State matchup, Pikiell awarded redshirt sophomore walk-on Jowey Downes with a scholarship. Downes has played in 10 career games and 24 total minutes. So far, he has three points, three rebounds, and an assist to his time. Downes also is a Member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and traveled to Honduras in 2017 and Puerto Rico in 2018 to benefit Soles4Souls, a non-profit which fights to end poverty.

“Joey’s been great. He’s been with us for three and years and we works relentlessly. He does a lot of great things and he’s a great student. He’s a great representative of what I want here,” Pikiell said. “He earned the scholarship. I was glad to give it to him and his teammates were event more excited than he was so it was. It was a good day for Joey.”

Next up, the Scarlet Knights return to Piscataway to take on Indiana on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. It will be televised on BTN.

Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisWasky.