PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers got back in the win column with a strong 59-50 victory over Indiana on Wednesday night in front of a capacity crowd at the RAC.
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With the win, the Scarlet Knights improve to an astounding 13-4 overall and a 4-2 in Big Ten Conference Play. They are now 12-0 at home.
The Hoosiers dropped to 13-4 (3-3) with the loss.
Check out the instant recap below and stay tuned for more.
THE GOOD: FAST START; BAKER IS BACK; REBOUNDING/CASHING IN; RESILIENCE; D IN CRUNCH TIME
Rutgers started the game on a 12-0 run which injected life into the sellout crowd. Montez Mathis notched a tough layup, Myles Johnson, a 6-11 center, nailed a pro-hop in the paint and finished, Akwaski Yeboah hit a 3-pointer, Mathis had a dunk in transition, and Yeboah converted a layup and-one in less than three minutes. The Scarlet Knights also started the second half on a 7-0 burst.
Junior guard Geo Baker made his return off the bench for the Scarlet Knights after missing three games with a thumb injury. He struggled shooting the ball (he had five points), but he went all out with two steals diving all over the court and put home an emphatic dunk with two minutes remaining. Baker also had four assists.
Rutgers was out-rebounded by one, but it cashed in those rebounds with nine second-chance points. It also netted 18 points off of 16 Indiana turnovers.
Rutgers overcame an offensive drought after Indiana took its first lead at 22-21 and led 31-24 at halftime as Indiana committed six turnovers over the last 6:52 and didn't score the last 2:05 of the opening 20 minutes.
Just when you thought Indiana was going to make a comeback, The Rutgers defense stepped up late. Holding Indiana to a stretch where it made just 2-of-10 field goals and was held without one for over three minutes.
THE BAD: HOOSIERS COMEBACK; FOUL ON MATHIS
As encouraging the start out of the gate was for Rutgers, it was Indiana that went on a 22-9 run as the Hoosiers took a 22-20 lead, midway through the first half. After not having a turnover the first 10 minutes, Rutgers committed five in 5:24 of game play. After the break, when Rutgers went up by 17 points, Indiana went on its own 7-0 run to make it a 10-point game. Scarlet Knights had a chance to really make a statement.
There was a foul with 8:25 remaining in the first half that could have gone either way. Both Mathis and Aljami Durham were fighting for a loose ball. The officials called Mathis for a foul and Durham was awarded two free throws, which he made, and Indiana kept the ball.
GAME BALL: Akwasi Yeboah
While it was a balanced effort by Rutgers tonight, Yeboah was the most consistent. The graduate transfer senior finished with 14 points on the 5-of-7 shooting including 2-of-4 from behind the arc. He also grabbed seven rebounds with an assist.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Geo Baker, bandaged thumb and all, went all out for a steal and then passed it to Caleb McConnell who slammed it home.
UP NEXT: Rutgers remains at home to face Minnesota on Sunday at the RAC at 1:00 p.m. You can watch live on BTN if you cannot make it out to the game.
More to come from TKR.
