PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Playing its first game in over a week, the Rutgers men's basketball team didn't have a let down as the Scarlet Knights got out to a hot start and dominated Lafayette at the RAC, 63-44.

With the win, Rutgers, which never trailed, improved to 9-3 overall on the season while the Leopards dropped to 7-3.

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Check out the instant recap below and stay tuned for more.

THE GOOD: QUICK START / DEFENSE / HARD IN THE PAINT

For the third straight game, Rutgers started off the game on at least a 9-0 run. Sunday, the Scarlet Knights began the game with a 17-0 advantage. This was especially good to see considering the long layoff from their last game last weekend against Seton Hall and because of the lack of a "big name" non-conference opponent. Rutgers could have easily started flat, but it didn't.

The Leopards' offense came in third nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (42.9), fifth in FG% (51.5) and 24th in both assists (16.9) and FT% (77.3), and over their previous five-game winning streak, they averaged 83.6 points and reached the 90-point mark twice. But, Rutgers was able to suffocate Lafayette, which didn't score its first points almost nine minutes into the game. The Leopards shot 25 percent in the opening half including zero percent from deep. Rutgers' length stymied the opposition.

Rutgers was able to out-rebound Lafayette, 45-28, tally 14 second-chance points, 27 bench points, and net a whopping 46 points inside the paint.

THE BAD: TURNOVERS / 3-POINT SHOOTING / YOUNG

Despite the convincing performance, the Scarlet Knights still managed to turn the ball over 18 times. While Rutgers dominated in the paint, it couldn't hit from the outside as it shot 1-for-9 from behind the arc. On the offensive side, guard Jacob Young continues to be out of rhythm as he was called for multiple travels and just seems out of sync. He had four turnovers in 17 minutes and four points.

GAME BALL: THE TEAM

It would be wrong to single out somebody as the entire squad put forth a balanced effort. However, Myles Johnson did record a game-high 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting with 14 rebounds.

PLAY OF THE GAME: ALLEY-OOP IN TRANSITION TO JOHNSON

UP NEXT: Rutgers will have over a week off again before it faces Caldwell after the holidays on Dec. 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the RAC. You can stream on BTN+.