With the return of Dylan Harper, Rutgers was able to hold off No. 23 Illinois 82-73 at Jersey Mike's Arena and picked up its first ranked win of the season.
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It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the second half until Rutgers used an 11-3 run to take a 71-65 lead with 5:19 remaining. The Scarlet Knights pushed it to a 75-67 game with 2:08 left following a jumper from Lathan Sommerville.
Rutgers also turned up its defense as the game wore on and held Illinois to one field goal in the final four minutes.
After missing the last two games with an ankle injury, Dylan Harper returned to lead Rutgers with 28 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
Ace Bailey added a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Jeremiah Williams had 13 points.
After trailing for much of the game, Illinois took a 48-47 lead with 13:06 remaining following a jumper from Ben Humrichous. It marked the Fighting Illini's first lead since going ahead 2-0 and capped off a 13-2 run.
Will Riley led Illinois with 20 points and five assists while Humrichous tallied 14 points and five rebounds. Morez Johnson Jr. also had 11 points and five rebounds.
Rutgers got off to a roaring start and used a 23-4 run to take a 23-6 lead with 9:43 remaining in the first half following a layup from Harper. Harper also gave the Scarlet Knights a 27-11 advantage with 7:51 left following a 3-pointer.
Rutgers cooled off as the half wore on though and Illinois battled back to make it a 37-29 game heading into halftime. Riley led the Illini with seven points.
Harper led Rutgers in the first half with 13 points, five rebounds, and three steals while Bailey had 12 points and five rebounds.
RHoops Play of the Day: Ace Bailey gets the block before Jamichael Davis sets him up for a thunderous slam to send Jersey Mike's Arena into a frenzy.
Up next: Rutgers will hit the road to face No. 18 Maryland at the XFINITY Center on Sunday at noon (ET) on BTN.
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