Down goes No. 1...again.
The Rutgers men's basketball team downed No. 1 Purdue, 65-64 inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, IN. Rutgers (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten) also topped the Boilermakers last season at home when Purdue was also the top rated team.
Purdue (13-1, 2-1) was one of the last two remaining unbeaten teams coming into the game. The Boilermakers have lost the first contest of a new calendar year in four of the last eight years (2016, 2017, 2022, 2023). Rutgers is now 2-2 in Quad 1 games has won five out of the last six games with the Boilermakers.
Rutgers now owns two wins over No. 1-ranked teams.
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Cam Spencer sank a 3-pointer with 14 seconds to go. Spencer came back in with four fouls. Spencer made the first defender miss with a pump fake, and then hit made the triple.
Fletcher Loyer drained a 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go to put the Boilermakers up 64-62.
Paul Mulcahy pulled down a tough rebound in the paint, and put back his own miss plus the foul to put the visitors back ahead 58-55 with 3:35 left. Mulcahy hit another layup to make it 60-55.
Brandon Newman hit a jump shot, but then Mulcahy got another layup to keep it at 62-59. A Zach Edey dunk and two free throws by Loyer made it a one point game at 62-61.
Rutgers took its final timeout at 1:17 remaining.
Newman hit a 3-pointer to give Purdue a 55-54 lead, its first advantage since 18-17 in the first half. Aundre Hyatt tied the game back up with a foul shot for Rutgers.
Rutgers dealt with foul trouble all night. Spencer and Caleb McConnell both had four fouls while Mawot Mag, Aundre Hyatt, Mulcahy, and Antwone Woolfolk each had three. That led to Purdue gaining and advantage at the free-throw line.
Edey, who averages 21.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game, had only four points and two fouls at halftime, but found life along with the Mackey crowd in the second half. Edey had nine points already at the under-12 timeout as the Boilermakers cut Rutgers' lead to 45-41 at the 11:11 mark.
The Scarlet Knights led by as many as 13 points in the first half thanks to a 10-0 run. Purdue turned the ball over eight times in the opening 20 minutes, and Rutgers scored eight points off of those turnovers. Rutgers was 50% before the break (14-28) while Purdue was just 6-15 as Rutgers held a 34-24 advantage.
Mulcahy led Rutgers with 16 points, eight rebounds, and six rebounds. Spencer finished with 14 points (6-of-8 field goals) and three assists, while Cliff Omoruyi posted 12 points and six rebounds.
Edey ended up with 19 points and 11 rebounds for Purdue. Newman had 11 and Loyer had 10.
Key stat
Fouls/free throws: Big Ten teams -- other than Rutgers really -- get the benefit of a home whistle. Rutgers was called for a multitude of fouls (24) compared to Purdue (11). In turn, the Boilermakers were 19-of-28 from the free-throw line.
Turning point: Cam Spencer's fourth foul
Purdue began chipping into Rutgers' 10-point halftime lead after the break. Many of Rutgers' players were in foul trouble all night long, and Spencer picked up his fourth foul at the 8:26 mark in the second half. Purdue then went on an 8-3 run prompting a Rutgers timeout.
Rutgers player of the game: G Paul Mulcahy
Mulcahy tallied 16 points, six assists, and eight rebounds, and scored major buckets down the stretch.
RHoops play of the Day: Cam Spencer's go-ahead 3-pointer
Up next: Rutgers returns home to Jersey Mike's Arena to face Maryland (RV/No. 21) at 6:30 p.m. The game can be seen on BTN. The Terrapins are coached by former Seton Hall head man Kevin Willard.
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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