Caleb McConnell collected 16 points and 10 rebounds as host Rutgers scored 17 straight points midway through the second half and pulled away for a 63-48 victory over No. 10 Indiana on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway, N.J. in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
In his third game back from a knee injury, McConnell made 4 of 12 shots, including the 3-pointer that sparked the decisive run and also made six free throws to help Rutgers (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) beat Indiana for the sixth straight time and eighth time in 11 meetings under coach Steve Pikiell. The Scarlet Knights improved to 10-3 at home against ranked teams since the start of the 2019-20 season.
Derek Simpson added 10 of his 14 points in the decisive run, hitting two layups, a mid-range jumper, a 3-pointer and a free throw as Rutgers turned a 37-35 deficit with 13:13 remaining into a 15-point lead a little over five minutes later. He then added an open 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:25 left to make it 59-46 and essentially seal it.
Aundre Hyatt chipped in 11 for Rutgers, which survived shooting 36.7 percent and a quiet showing from Clifford Omoruyi. Omoruyi did not play the final 16:40 of the first half after picking up two fouls and compensated for being held to six points by making two key defensive plays down the stretch.
Miller Kopp scored 21 points for Indiana (7-1, 0-1) but the rest of the Hoosiers experienced frustrating showings against Rutgers’ varied defenses.
Indiana shot a dreadful 30.4 percent and missed 19 of 25 3-point tries after shooting 55 percent through the first seven games. The Hoosiers were also limited to 14 points in the paint after scoring 50 points inside Wednesday against North Carolina.
Indiana star Trayce Jackson-Davis fouled out for the first time in his career and finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Xavier Johnson also struggled as he finished with eight on 2 of 11 shooting as the
Hoosiers played without Jalen Hood-Schifino, who was held out due to a back injury after struggling in pregame warmups.
The Scarlet Knights held a 31-24 lead at halftime after Mulcahy hit a layup with 28 seconds remaining. Rutgers got the lead when Hyatt’s layup snapped a 10-10 deadlock with 12:48 remaining and it expanded its lead to seven three other times before Mulcahy’s basket.
–Field Level Media
