It might not have come easy, but No. 24 Rutgers led wire-to-wire and defeated Merrimack 74-63 at Jersey Mike's Arena.
JOIN TODAY AND GET 30 DAYS FREE! | THE ROUND TABLE FORUM | RUTGERS FOOTBALL 2025 RECRUITING CLASS | RUTGERS HOOPS RECRUITING
Rutgers (4-0) had a tough time putting Merrimack (1-3) away as the Warriors shot 41 percent (26-for-64) from the floor, led by Adam Clark who finished with 22 points, six assists, and four rebounds on 10-for-19 shooting. Merrimack was hindered by its 3-point shooting though as it finished 4-for-24 after making its first two attempts.
Merrimack made it a 65-58 game with 2:53 remaining following a layup from Sean Trumper, but Rutgers answered with a 7-0 run, capped off by a 3-pointer from Ace Bailey with 1:19 left.
Bailey recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Dylan Harper also filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
The Scarlet Knights shot 42 percent from the floor (25-for-60) and 7-for-17 from three. They also out-rebounded Merrimack 45-32, including 15 offensive rebounds.
Zach Martini ended a 4:13 scoring drought for Rutgers with a 3-pointer to put the Scarlet Knights ahead 53-42 with 11:12 remaining in the game. Bailey also made a layup to give Rutgers its largest lead of the game, 65-51, with 5:42 left.
It was an uneven first half for Rutgers as it went into halftime up 37-30 after shooting 42 percent from the field (11-for-26). Merrimack stuck around though on the back of Clark who scored 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting.
Merrimack finished the first half shooting 38 percent from the floor (13-for-34) but missed 13 consecutive 3-point attempts after hitting their first two. The Scarlet Knights' defense stepped up as the half went along and held the Warriors to 2-for-12 from the floor heading into halftime.
Rutgers took a 37-28 lead with 1:27 remaining in the first half off a layup from Lathan Somerville, but Clark hit a jumper to send Merrimack into the tunnel down by seven points.
Sommerville and Bailey led Rutgers in the first half with seven points while Harper had six.
RHoops Play of the Day: Ace Bailey rattles the rim with a ferocious dunk off a dime from Dylan Harper to put Rutgers ahead 13-5 with 15:47 remaining in the first half.
Up next: Rutgers will head on the road to face Kennesaw St. on Sunday at 1 p.m. (ET) on CBS Sports Network.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
