Rutgers was on the road tonight against a surging Northwestern team that looked similar to the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers held a 10-point lead more than halfway through the second half but could not close out Northwestern as a series of late three-pointers helped the Wildcats regain the lead. But it was Cam Spencer striking again with a late three that helped give Rutgers a 65-62 win. Rutgers is now 12-5 and here’s a look at how the latest win went down.
Starting Five
It does not look like head coach Steve Pikiell is going to tinker with his starting lineup. From here on it, the look of the starting five is likely to be the same as it has been and was tonight. Paul Mulcahy took the floor with Caleb McConnell, Cliff Omoruyi, Cam Spencer and Mawot Mag.
Game Ball
Cam Spencer. Once again, he was Mr. Reliable and the most consistent offensive player on the team. He hit the big three-pointer down the stretch and sealed the game with a pair of clutch free throws.
Stat Leaders
Mawot Mag: 9 pts 1 reb 1 assts
Caleb McConnell: 4 pts 4 rebs 2 assts 2 stls
Cam Spencer: 23 pts 4 rebs 2 assts 1 stl 1 blk
Cliff Omoruyi: 4 pts 11 rebs 3 assts 2 blks
Paul Mulcahy: 12 pts 7 rebs 5 assts 1 blk 2 stls
Aundre Hyatt: 10 pts 3 rebs 2 assts 1 blk
Derek Simpson: 1 stl
Dean Reiber: 3 pts 1 stl
Did you notice…
—Rutgers extended its lead to 19–11in the first half, but failed to build on that thanks to three poor offensive possessions that resulted in poor three-pointers taken by McConnell, and Spencer. The third missed opportunity came on a weak move to the basket by Omoruyi. Rutgers also came up empty the next two times down the court.
—Four of the five starters played 17 minutes or more in the first half as Pikiell relied on his primary guys. Mulcahy played 19 minutes, Spencer played 18 while Omoruyi and McConnell played 17 minutes apiece.
—The bench sprung to life in the second half when Derek Simpson tore to the basket and dumped off a pass for Dean Reiber, who was fouled on a dunk. He would make one of two free throws but it was a play that showed a lot of energy from the reserves. However, it did not last as Simpson and Reiber were not effective in the following minutes.
—Rutgers and Northwestern looked like very similar teams, thriving on hustle plays and tough defense while also hitting dry spells from the perimeter.
—Rutgers needed a timeout, holding a 52-51 lead as the team was out of sync. Instead. Mulcahy drove and found an open McConnell for three. But he front-rimmed the shot, which is emblematic of who he was shooting from the outside all night. After a Northwestern bucket to take the lead, Rutgers finally got that overdue timeout.
Highlight Reel
Tonight’s highlight reel comes courtesy of Omoruyi, who finishes off a dunk after receiving a great dish from Mag.
CLIFF OMORUYI??@wizcliff77 x @RutgersMBB pic.twitter.com/s8LbmhdxMf
— Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) January 12, 2023
Next Up
Rutgers will return home to face Ohio State on Sunday with a start time of 2:15 p.m. Ohio State lost its last two to Purdue and Maryland and now holds a record of 10-5. The Bckeyes defeated Rutgers earlier this season, 67-66, on a controversial last-second three-pointer that followed a pair of obvious blown calls by the officials, prompting an formal apology from the Big Ten a day after.
