INSTANT REACTION: Rutgers Basketball falls to No. 2 Purdue 68-60
Rutgers dropped its second game in a row after falling to No. 2 Purdue 68-60 at Jersey Mike's Arena.
It was a tale of two halves for Rutgers (10-9, 2-6 Big Ten) as it withstood a tough start to give Purdue (19-2, 8-2 Big Ten) everything it could handle inside Jersey Mike's Arena. However, the Boilermakers were able to take every shot the Scarlet Knights dished out and come away with a 68-60 victory.
Rutgers did everything it could to contain Purdue's Zach Edey, but the big man proved to be too much as he finished with a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Edey also tallied four blocks and slammed home an exclamation point that put the Boilermakers up 64-55 with 2:17 to play.
The Scarlet Knights finished the day shooting 38 percent from the field and 27 percent from three, led by Aundre Hyatt with 15 points and four rebounds. Cliff Omoruyi added 13 points and six rebounds.
After a tough first half in which Rutgers trailed 33-20 and shot 26.5 percent from the floor, the Scarlet Knights turned things around in the second as it cut Purdue's lead all the way down to two points with 5:19 remaining thanks to a jumper from Gavin Griffiths.
This felt like somewhat of a coming-out party for Griffiths as he finished with eight points and played a key role in the Scarlet Knights' second-half turnaround. Jamichael Davis also recorded nine points, four rebounds, and four assists while Derek Simpson had eight points.
In addition, Braden Smith played a key role in securing the victory for Purdue as he finished with 19 points and six rebounds.
It was a tough opening stretch for Rutgers as it recorded a season-low in points scored in a half with 20. The Scarlet Knights finished the half shooting 9-for-34 from the floor and 0-for-8 from three but, despite its shooting woes, went into halftime down 33-20.
Purdue jumped out to a 21-7 lead, but Rutgers used a 9-0 run to make it a five-point game with 7:10 remaining in the first half. However, the Boilermakers snatched back momentum by making four of its next five shots to take a 31-18 lead.
Omoruyi led Rutgers in the first half with seven points while Davis had five.
Purdue finished the half shooting 50 percent from the field and 38 percent from three, led by Edey with 10 points and five rebounds. Smith also tallied nine points and five rebounds while Mason Gillis had eight points.
RHoops Play of the Day: Cliff Omoruyi lays in the reverse to cut into Purdue's lead.
Up next: Rutgers will face Penn State on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. (ET) at Jersey Mike's Arena on BTN.
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