PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers moved to 2-0 on the season inside The RAC with an 82-70 win over Howard. The game also served as the season and college debut for freshman point guard Corey Sanders who did not disappoint.

Sanders chipped in 15 points, five assists and two steals in 34 minutes of action.

"It was great. I came out and did what I had to do," Sanders said afterward. "The team did what we had to do. I just tried to come out and lead, be the pioneer, the general on the floor. It was a great first game for me."

Rutgers also received some help from junior Deshawn Freeman, who led the team with 17 points and also corralled seven rebounds.

"We are just trying to grow as a team," Freeman said. "We had a few errors the first game and today we got Corey back and I was able to play the whole game. We got everybody on the same page and we are feeling good."

Howard hung around through the first half on the strength of 14 points from junior James Daniel. However, Rutgers proved to be too much, maintaining a comfortable lead through the second half and was never really threatened.

"I am very pleased with the outcome," head coach Eddie Jordan said post-game. "There was a lot of good things we did. We followed the game plan pretty much as far as attacking their zone and getting our pressure up. Those were two areas of emphasis."

While Freeman and Sanders were the stars of the game, neither of them started. For the second straight game, Jordan went with a starting five of Bishop Daniels and Mike Williams at the guards while D.J. Foreman, Jonathan Laurent and Greg Lewis started in the frontcourt.

"We're 2-0 with the starting lineup we have," Jordan said. "I don't like screwing around with the starters. But there is some thought process with that, absolutely."

Howard managed to hang around and pulled to within 61-54 with five minutes left in the game, partly because of Rutgers' struggles from beyond the arc. The Scarlet Knights made just 2-of-14 three point attempts, with Sanders and Justin Goode making a pair in the game's final few minutes.

"I feel like our rhythm was more interior stuff today," Jordan said. "I am sure Omari Grier, Mike Williams and Justin Goode, our three point shooters, will get their rhythm and get more comfortable."

The Scarlet Knights shut the door on any late Howard comeback attempt and the first of a few final exclamation points came on a thunderous dunk down the lane by D.J. Foreman with a little over four minutes left to play. That dunk gave Rutgers a 13-point lea while Foreman finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.

"I saw Bishop driving in transition and I saw him look to Deshawn," Foreman said of that play. "Once he looked at Deshawn, the big man went towards him. I sped up so I could get a shuffle pass. He threw it to me and my eyes got really big. I knew I had to capitalize. I kind of sensed it was over then. That was a real game changer."

Rutgers also passed the ball very well, collecting 18 assists on the team's 24 field goals.

"The more you pass, the easier it is to score for everyone," Jordan said. "And even the passer will find a way to score easier because the defense thinks you're passing, you're passing to your teammates and then all of the sudden you are scoring."

Rutgers is now 2-0 on the season, but things will get a little tougher this Thursday when the Scarlet Knights venture into New York City to take on St. John's.