Rutgers men's basketball loses big against Wake Forest
The Rutgers men's basketball team lost to Wake Forest by a score of 76-57 on Wednesday.
The Scarlet Knights (5-3, 0-1) started off poorly in this game. Approximately 7 minutes in, the Demon Deacons (5-3, 0-0) led Rutgers 18-3. The slow start was reminiscent of the Knights' last game against Illinois, where they began the game trailing 18-4.
As Wake Forest continued treading ahead, Rutgers tried to build some positive momentum. Senior forward Aundre Hyatt kept the Knights afloat with some hot shooting early on, knocking down three shots from deep and finishing the opening half with 11 points.
With less than a minute to play in the half, Rutgers managed to cut its deficit to just 6 points after sophomore forward Antwone Woolfolk scored back-to-back buckets, including a smooth mid-range jumper.
The Knights went into halftime down 37-31.
Rutgers continued to carve into the Demon Deacons' lead in the second half and cut the deficit to just 2 points with 10:31 to play. It marked the smallest deficit of the game since the early moments of the first half for the Knights.
Wake Forest quickly responded, though, and brought its lead back up to 10 points at with approximately 8 minutes to play.
It did not stop there for the Demon Deacons. After Rutgers had made it 50-48, Wake Forest rattled off 18 straight points and put the game out of reach. The Knights went on to lose by 19 points.
Ahead of this game, The Daily Targum highlighted rebounding, offensive identity and rotations as three things Rutgers needed to fix.
The Knights were outdone in terms of rebounds 42-30 by the Demon Deacons. As for developing an offensive identity, there was not much progression there either. The 57 points were the lowest Rutgers scored in a game this season and marked the second consecutive game in which the Knights scored less than 60 points.
Head coach Steve Pikiell did make a rotational change, as freshman guard Gavin Griffiths started rather than Woolfolk. The move will likely not be permanent, though, as Griffiths went scoreless in 18 minutes of play.
Hyatt and fifth-year guard Noah Fernandes led Rutgers in scoring with 13 points each.
The Knights now sit in a tough spot, as they have lost their last two games by a combined 37 points. Rutgers will have to shake off these losses for its road test against in-state rival Seton Hall on Saturday.
Saturday's game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. at the Prudential Center in Newark and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
For more updates on the Rutgers men’s basketball team, follow @TargumSports on X.
To view more of Camden Markel's work, follow @CamdenMarkel on X.
