Rutgers men's basketball completes comeback against Penn State
As the final buzzer sounded, senior guard Cam Spencer threw the ball into the air and emphatically waved the crowd goodbye as the Rutgers men's basketball team completed its comeback and defeated Penn State with a final score of 59-56. The Scarlet Knights' (18-11, 10-8) 19-point comeback marks its largest comeback since 1996.
In the first 17 minutes of the first half, Rutgers struggled on both the offensive and defensive ends. The Knights had only scored 14 points and allowed the Nittany Lions (17-12, 8-10) to get out to a 17-point lead.
The first sign of a potential comeback came in the final 2 minutes of the first half, as freshman guard Derek Simpson scored 7 points in a row to lower Penn State's lead to just 10 points heading into halftime.
The Nittany Lions got back into a rhythm early in the second period, and with approximately 17 minutes remaining in the game, they took a 19-point lead.
With the Knights' backs against the wall, they responded well, and with nearly 7 minutes left, Rutgers had cut its deficit to 10 points. The Knights' defense kicked into high gear in the game's final minutes. Penn State failed to get a field goal in the last 9 minutes of the game and only scored 3 total points off of free throws.
The defense translated into offense for Rutgers and with 2:36 remaining in the game, fifth-year senior guard Caleb McConnell hit a three-point shot to tie the game at 54-54.
The Nittany Lions responded with two free throws, but Simpson answered the call to action by hitting a layup, getting fouled and converting the free throw to give the Knights their first lead of the second half.
Junior center Clifford Omoruyi extended Rutgers' lead to 3 points with just 32 seconds remaining. Penn State got one final chance to try and tie the score, but the Nittany Lions missed two contested three-point attempts. With the clock at 3 seconds, Spencer stripped the ball from Seth Lundy to secure the win for the Knights.
Simpson was phenomenal in the comeback win, blowing by defenders on his way to the paint multiple times and hitting clutch shots. He ended the game with a team-high 16 points.
"Man, I didn't know Derek was a freshman tonight," McConnell said. "Derek was awesome tonight. We got him going, found the hot hand, and it just happened to be Derek. Derek got downhill and just created plays … That is something that Derek has been doing all season, and it was just a matter of time."
McConnell was also crucial down the stretch as he hit the game-tying three-point shot, scored 12 points, dished out four assists and grabbed four rebounds.
Jalen Pickett was a strong opposing player and scored 11 points in the first half, but Rutgers kept him off the scoresheet in the second half.
The Knights will look to continue the momentum they gained in the second half when the team travels to Minneapolis to face off against Minnesota on Thursday. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports 1 and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
"I like this team a lot. They have been great all year," said head coach Steve Pikiell. "We fought through foul trouble … We weren't making shots. I thought we were getting some decent looks. We just stayed the course. I am real proud of our guys. Our defense kind of carried us down the stretch, but then we made some timely plays too. Being able to come back from a lot on the road is a good sign."
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