Comeback kids: Rutgers men's basketball rallies late to defeat Northwestern for 4th straight win
The Rutgers men's basketball team defeated Northwestern 63-60 on Thursday night. With the victory, the Scarlet Knights (14-10, 6-7) extended their win streak to four games and continued their ascent up the Big Ten standings.
Before the game, senior forward Mawot Mag was listed as questionable due to left knee soreness and ended up sitting out. Without Mag, Rutgers got off to a slow start and trailed 34-27 entering halftime. But the Knights played a strong second half to get the 3-point victory at Jersey Mike's Arena on Livingston campus.
Here are three takeaways from the victory.
Oskar ascends
Rutgers struggled offensively to start the game, and approximately 15 minutes into the first half, the Knights were down 26-13 and had made just four field goals. With momentum favoring the Wildcats (17-8, 8-6), Rutgers turned to an unlikely savior to jump-start the offense: redshirt senior forward Oskar Palmquist.
In the final 3 minutes of the first half, Palmquist drained three three-pointers, two of which came in the final minute of the half. Due to Palmquist, the Knights only trailed by 7 points entering halftime.
Palmquist only played 5 minutes in the second half and ended with 9 points, but his first-half scoring outburst kept the team within striking distance and ultimately helped it pull off the comeback.
"I'm just trying to help the team in any way I can," Palmquist said on his performance. "For me, the most important part is winning, and my teammates got me open today and gave me confidence that I was going to hit shots."
Boo brilliance
Without Ty Berry, who is out for the season due to injury, and Ryan Langborg, who was ejected from the game after elbowing freshman guard Jamichael Davis in the midsection, Boo Buie stepped up for Northwestern. Buie played 39 out of 40 minutes and scored a game-high 27 points, shooting 7-14 from the field, 6-10 from three-point range and 7-7 from the free throw line.
Rutgers was able to slow him down in the second half, as he only scored 10 points while shooting 2-7 from the field, but Buie was still able to be effective by getting to the free throw line. With the Wildcats down 3 points and 4.5 seconds remaining on the game clock, Buie's potentially game-tying shot was blocked by senior center Clifford Omoruyi, allowing the Knights to escape with the one-possession victory.
Guards get hot
Rutgers' guards all played well against Northwestern. Davis had to frequently guard Buie and had the most success in doing so. Davis also chipped in with 11 points and 2 steals.
Sophomore guard Derek Simpson did not have his most efficient night shooting the ball, but he made a couple of clutch shots down the stretch, had four assists and a team-high four steals.
Redshirt junior guard Jeremiah Williams proved once again to be the spark plug for the Knights. Williams was vocal on both offense and defense, allowing the team to feed off of his energy.
Williams was also able to effectively attack the basket, scoring 15 points, dishing out five assists and grabbing five rebounds. Two of those points came on a tough hook shot to give Rutgers a 3-point lead with 21 seconds remaining. Williams also had a highlight block on Matthew Nicholson in the second half.
"We couldn't afford to give them that bucket, so just make a play," Williams said on his performance.
The Knights will have to rely on Williams during the final stretch of Big Ten games.
"I was able to get downhill, get some guys involved, make some plays," Williams said after the game. "Offensively, that's my role."
Though not a guard, senior forward Aundre Hyatt also made his presence felt in the final minute. With the game tied 58-58, Hyatt drifted to the left wing and made a three-pointer with 56 seconds left to give Rutgers the lead.
"Derek had drove middle, and my man had tried to close the gap, and Derek saw me, and I was open," Hyatt said on his game-winning shot. "I had a lot of time to shoot the ball, so I just took the time, and I knew it was good."
The Knights will now head back on the road to face Minnesota on Sunday. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
"We've been down — they just keep fighting," said head coach Steve Pikiell. "That's what we gotta do. We just have to fight through some tough times."
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