Rutgers Pulls Away from North Dakota State
box score
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Junior JR Inman (Pomona, N.Y.) scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, leading Rutgers (2-0) to a 79-67 victory over visiting North Dakota State (0-2) on Sunday afternoon at the RAC in the second game of the Blue Ribbon Challenge. Corey Chandler (Newark, N.J.) scored 14 points, becoming the first freshman to score in double figures in his first two games since Earl Johnson accomplished the feat against Wagner and No. 1 Cincinnati in the first two games of the 1996-97 season.
"With JR Inman, we talked about being efficient and consistent," said head coach Fred Hill. "Today I thought he was very, very efficient in his game. Earlier on we struggled and were out of sync, but in the second half I thought we did a terrific job on the offensive end. First half it was on the defensive end, second half I wasn't happy with the defense, but the offense was good. At the end of the day, the depth helped us and it was a win."
The first half was a back and forth affair. Nine different Scarlet Knights played, and all nine scored at least two points, led by Inman, who had six. The two teams traded baskets as the Bison got out to an early 10-5 lead. But RU would fight back, tying the game at 11 at the 10:03 mark. After a 4-0 run by NDSU put them ahead 15-11 at the 9:03 mark, the Scarlet Knights took the lead for good in the first half with an 8-0 run, keyed by a three-pointer from Chandler at the 6:05 mark. RU would head into the locker room with a 30-27 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Bison made their run. Ben Woodside gave NDSU a 38-34 lead with two straight baskets, the second coming at the 16:25 mark. He would finish with 24 points, leading all scorers. But a three-pointer by junior Anthony Farmer (Millville, N.J.) and two straight baskets by Inman would give Rutgers a 43-40 lead with 13:15 to go in the game. Farmer finished with 17 points, tying his career-high.
The teams would trade baskets until NDSU tied the game at 52. At that point, Inman took over. First he grabbed an offensive rebound, muscling in a shot to give RU a 54-52 lead. Then he took a charge from Woodside, giving Rutgers the ball back. He followed the fine defensive play with a three-pointer that gave the Scarlet Knights a five-point advantage, a lead they would not relinquish. In the final 8:55 of the game, Rutgers outscored the Bison 27-15 to win going away.
"I thought the last five minutes we really executed and we were tough," said Hill. "That is when we really defended. In the middle of the second half they scored a little too quickly and too easily. The last five minutes we really defended, rebounded, made free-throws, and passed the ball." |
