Rutgers Basketball secured back-to-back wins following its 95-85 victory against USC at Jersey Mike's Arena.
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It was an efficient day at the office for Rutgers' offense as it finished 56 percent (30-for-54) from the floor, led by Dylan Harper with 25 points, nine assists, and six steals. The Scarlet Knights led by as much as 17 following a pair of free throws from Jeremiah Willaims with 4:48 remaining.
Lathan Sommerville sunk two free throws to give Rutgers an 87-72 lead with 2:59 left, but USC would not go down without a fight as it used an 8-0 run to cut it to an 87-80 game with 1:18 left. The Scarlet Knights were able to stave off the Trojans though with help from the free-throw line as they finished 26-for-28 from the stripe.
While Harper might get a bulk of the attention for his performance, freshman Bryce Dortch played a pivotal role in this game as he scored five straight points to give Rutgers a 73-61 lead with 7:30 remaining. He finished with a career-high nine points.
Ace Bailey also got in on the action as he scored 14 points while Jamichael Davis had 13, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Davis also extended the Scarlet Knights' lead to 76-63 following a 3-pointer with 6:46 remaining.
Tyson Acuff and Sommerville added 10 points apiece. Sommerville also went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
USC played well offensively, shooting 52 percent (34-for-66) from the floor with Desmond Claude recording a game-high 30 points. Wesley Yates III also tallied 23 points.
Rutgers carried over its run from the first half in the opening moments of the second, outscoring USC 14-4 to take a 50-40 lead with 18:14 remaining. Bailey also hit a jumper to give the Scarlet Knights a 66-56 lead with 10:30 left.
It was a fast-paced opening half for both sides as Rutgers shot 63 percent (15-for-24) from the field and finished on an 8-3 run to take a 44-39 lead into halftime. USC stuck with the Scarlet Knights though, shooting 52 percent (16-for-31) from the floor with Yates hitting a buzzer-beating three to end the half.
Harper led Rutgers in the opening half with 17 points on 5-for-6 shooting along with four assists and three steals. Bailey added seven points.
Rutgers used an 11-2 run to take a 19-17 lead with 9:35 remaining in the first half, but USC responded with a 7-0 run to go ahead by five points. Rutgers answered though by hitting its next four shots to tie the game at 24 with 7:52 left.
The Scarlet Knights were efficient from the 3-point line in the first half as they went 5-for-10, including a trey from Harper to give them a 36-31 lead with four minutes remaining. The Trojans responded though with five points to tie the game.
Yates led USC in the opening half with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
Both sides started strong offensively as they combined to go 8-for-11 from the field and were tied 8-8 with 15:40 left in the first half.
RHoops Play of the Day: Ace Bailey rises up and hits a three to give Rutgers a 33-29 lead with 4:37 left in the first half.
Up next: Rutgers will return to action on Thursday when it travels to Ann Arbor to face No. 12 Michigan at 9 p.m. (ET) on Peacock.
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