Rutgers Basketball held on in the final minutes against Penn State in its first home game in nearly a month, taking down the Nittany Lions 80-76. The Scarlet Knights took a big lead early and fought off several Penn State runs throughout the second half to survive and get on the board in the conference win column in their second Big Ten matchup.
Rutgers was led once again by Dylan Harper, as he led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Time and time again he was counted on to get a big bucket and stabilize the team as the Nittany Lions fought back, and he converted almost every time.
Fellow star freshman Ace Bailey was a bit quiet in the scoring column, with 15 points on 6-for-14 shooting, but he made up for it on the boards. He led the way with 15 rebounds, including multiple putbacks from offensive rebounds to keep Rutgers' lead at arm's length.
Camden-native Zach Hicks led Penn State, who scored a team-high 20 points on six made threes, lighting it up from the perimeter in big spots.
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Despite the Nittany Lions coming in red-hot to start the season, the Scarlet Knights came out of the gate playing inspired basketball at a frenetic pace. Penn State got out to a quick 7-2 lead in the opening minutes, but the Scarlet Knights fought back and finished off the first half in dominating fashion. A buzzer-beating corner three from Jeremiah Williams sent Rutgers into the locker room up 48-33.
The team also shined in one area they had struggled to start the season, as Rutgers was able to light up the perimeter, shooting 8-for-18 from the three-point line in the first half. Harper connected on three treys, while Tyson Acuff and PJ Hayes each knocked down two.
All but one Scarlet Knight scored in the opening 20 minutes, led by Harper's 15 on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor. Despite the high scoring, they also played a fantastic defensive first half, holding the Nittany Lions to just 44% shooting from the floor, including a 2-for-10 clip from star guard Ace Baldwin Jr.
Penn State fought back in the second half, outscoring the Scarlet Knights 43-32 even with the double-digit defecit for much of the half. Hicks scored 11 of his points in the second half, as be kept the Nittany Lions in the game with his three-point shooting off the catch.
Much of the Nittany Lions' comeback came down to getting stops on the perimeter, and making three-pointers of their own. Their defense held Rutgers to zero makes from beyond the arc on just four attempts, running the Scarlet Knights off the arc and limiting opportunities.
On offense Penn State drained five threes on 14 attempts, only a slight increase from the four made in the first half, but almost all of them came in big spots during the comeback.
Rutgers was able to hold on thanks to a dominant rebounding effort, as it outrebounded Penn State 46-32. Bailey and Harper stole the show on the boards, but the rest of the team dominated on the offensive glass as well. The Scarlet Knights grabbed 12 offensive rebounds leading to an efficient 22 second chance points, compared to just 8 for Penn State.
After a mini-skid starting with the road loss at Kennesaw State and going through the Players Era Festival into Saturday's loss at Ohio State, the Scarlet Knights returned home and put up an inspired performance in the areas they needed most - defense and rebounding.
Winning the toughest of the remaining games in December is a good first step as the team looks to rebound and get its footing back ahead of the Big Ten schedule when the New Year kicks off.
RHOOPS PLAY OF THE DAY
Jeremiah Williams ends the first half in style with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
UP NEXT?
Rutgers will be back in action on Saturday, December 14th, as the Scarlet Knights host in-state rival Seton Hall in the annual Garden State Hardwood Classic at Jersey Mike's Arena.
The game will tipoff at 3 pm EST and will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
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