Rutgers Routs NC Central, 73-48
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PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Junior JR Inman (Pomona, N.Y.) scored a career-high 24 points and Rutgers (3-0) put together a 24-6 run in the second half to defeat North Carolina Central (0-2), 73-48, at the RAC, in the third game of the Blue Ribbon Challenge. Inman made the most of his career-high 38 minutes, becoming the first Scarlet Knight to score 20 or more points in back-to-back games since Quincy Douby scored 30 or more in the final three games of his career in 2005-06.
"JR was incredibly efficient," said head coach Fred Hill. "He was certainly an iron man out there for us tonight. I wish I didn't have to play him for that many minutes but I just wasn't comfortable with what we would do. But I thought we played well enough in spurts and defended well enough in the second half to come away with a nice victory."
Three other Scarlet Knights joined Inman in double figures. Junior Anthony Farmer (Millville, N.J.) finished with 14, junior Jaron Griffin (Manchester, N.J.) scored 13, and Corey Chandler (Newark, N.J.) had 10, becoming the first freshman to score in double-figures in his first three career games since Earl Johnson accomplished the feat in 1996-97.
In the first half, the Scarlet Knights' offense needed time to get on track while playing their second game in as many days. NCC went up early 7-4, but an 8-0 RU run gave them a lead they would not relinquish. After North Carolina Central came with in six at 29-23, a 7-2 run to close out the first half gave Rutgers a 36-25 lead heading into the locker room, their largest halftime lead of the season.
The second stanza also started off slowly for the Scarlet Knights, as a 5-0 run by the Eagles brought them to within six again, at 36-30. But then Inman took over. First he scored an old-fashioned three point play, bringing the lead back up to nine. Then after stopping NCCU on defense, the Scarlet Knights went back to Inman, and he delivered again, scoring a basket off a beautiful entry pass from Griffin to put Rutgers back up by 11. The Eagles would get as close as nine, before Rutgers closed them out to win by 25. |
