Rutgers men's basketball's comeback falls short against Ohio State
The Rutgers men’s basketball team lost to Ohio State 76-72 on Wednesday. The Scarlet Knights (8-5, 0-2) almost stormed back from a 17-point deficit but fell just short.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Poor perimeter defense
Rutgers struggled to defend the perimeter against the Buckeyes (12-2, 2-1) in the first half. The Knights were a step slower as Ohio State continuously made the extra pass to find the open man.
The Buckeyes shot 60 percent from three-point range in the first half and started the game shooting 9-11 from beyond the arc. Thanks to its early three-point prowess, Ohio State owned a 17-point lead with 4:14 left in the first half.
Rutgers tightened up its perimeter defense and defensive rotations in the second half, as the Buckeyes only made two three-point shots in the final 20 minutes of the game. But the damage was done, as the Knights were forced to dig themselves out of a hole in the second half.
Jamison Battle led Ohio State with six made three-pointers and was second on the team with 22 points.
Guards step up
Sophomore guard Derek Simpson, fifth-year guard Noah Fernandes and graduate student guard Austin Williams all had their best games of the season.
Simpson was effective in isolation offense, as he scored 23 points on 16 shots. Simpson also hustled for rebounds, as he grabbed eight rebounds with many of them being long rebounds. On defense, Simpson was able to hold his own and got in the passing lanes for two steals.
It was Simpson’s best game of the season and Rutgers will need Simpson to continue shooting well for it to have success in the future.
"Derek (Simpson) is really really good and we need him to be aggressive like that," head coach Steve Pikiell said in his radio interview after the game.
Fernandes also had one of his better games in a Knights uniform. After looking passive and scoring no points against Stonehill, Fernandes was aggressive and scored 17 points against the Buckeyes. Fernandes hit a bunch of mid-range jump shots and contributed to the glass as he corralled in five rebounds.
Williams did not play in the first half but came into the second half to guard Bruce Thornton and excelled. Thornton ended with a game-high 24 points but only made one basket in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Williams brought a toughness to the court that Rutgers previously lacked and his defense helped the Knights almost complete the comeback.
Rutgers will need its guards to stay aggressive and hit shots as Big Ten play continues.
Something to build off of
Not everything was great, as senior center Clifford Omoruyi and freshmen guards Gavin Griffiths and Jamichael Davis struggled to make an impact, and the Knights still shot poorly, in part, due to their insistence on fading away on shots instead of drawing contact.
But Rutgers finally had a positive rebounding performance, out rebounding Ohio State by four rebounds. Much of that can be attributed to the efforts of the guards.
The Knights also were finally effective from the free-throw line, making 12 of their 14 attempts. Though their shots continued not to fall, they looked more intentional and confident on offense. After struggling defensively in the first half, Rutgers came out with intensity in the second half.
Though the Knights' second half comeback attempt fell just short, thanks to Roddy Gayle Jr. hitting a pair of free throws late in the game, it was a performance they can build off of.
Rutgers will continue its road trip when it faces Iowa on Saturday. The game will tip off at noon and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
"I loved how we were connected," Pikiell said. "We got to keep getting better, I think we showed some signs tonight."
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