INSTANT REACTION: Rutgers falls to Mississippi St. 70-60 in Gotham Classic
It was a tough afternoon for Rutgers Basketball as it fell to Mississippi State 70-60 in the Gotham Classic at the Prudential Center.
Aundre Hyatt did everything he could to keep Rutgers (7-4, 0-1 Big Ten) in this game as he finished with 18 points and six rebounds while shooting 6-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-6 from three. It was all for naught though as the Scarlet Knights struggled shooting and rebounding as they shot 37 percent from the floor and were out-rebounded 47-26.
It was also a rough day for Rutgers big man Cliff Omoruyi as he finished with three points and zero rebounds and fouled out with 3:30 remaining.
Cameron Matthews led the scoring for Mississippi State (10-2) with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Jimmy Bell Jr. posted 17 points and 18 rebounds. Dashawn Davis also tallied 13 points and seven assists. The Bulldogs finished the day shooting 42 percent from the floor.
Mississippi State opened the second half strong as it went 3-for-3 and sunk two free throws to take a 37-31 lead with 15:59 remaining. It did not get much easier for Rutgers as the Bulldogs used a 7-0 run later in the half to take a 49-37 advantage with 10:38 left. Hyatt ended the run though with a 3-pointer to cut it to a 49-41 game with 8:22 remaining.
After starting 0-for-8 from the floor, Derek Simpson hit back-to-back buckets to cut it to a 60-51 game with 4:06 remaining. However, that was as far as the Scarlet Knights could get as Mississippi State closed out the 10-point victory.
Hyatt was able to send the Scarlet Knights into halftime with some momentum as he got a steal before sinking a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to tie the game at 29. Hyatt led the way for the Scarlet Knights in the first half with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting and went 2-for-4 from three.
It was a pretty even first half from both sides as Rutgers shot 39 percent from the floor while Mississippi State shot 36 percent. However, the Bulldogs out-rebounded the Scarlet Knights 22-13 with Matthews and Bell each pulling down six boards.
After taking a 20-15 lead with 10:07 left in the first half, Rutgers went on a nearly six-minute scoring drought that Mississippi State used to its advantage by going on a 10-0 run to take a 25-20 lead. Hyatt ended the drought with a layup to cut it to a 25-22 game with 4:25 remaining.
It was a good start for both sides as they went 5-for-7 from the floor to open the game, but Mississippi State had a 12-11 lead with 15:20 left in the first half. Both sides cooled off as the half wore on though with Rutgers sporting a 20-15 lead with eight minutes remaining.
RHoops Play of the Day: Aundre Hyatt gets the steal before sinking a three to send Rutgers into halftime with some momentum tied at 29.
Up Next: Rutgers will host Stonehill next Saturday at noon (ET) on BTN.
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