Two games into his second season at Rutgers, Aundre Hyatt acknowledges that he’s already much more comfortable in the scarlet and white.
The junior forward will look to make it three productive games in a row when the Scarlet Knights (2-0) host UMass Lowell (2-0) on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway, N.J.
“Yes, most definitely,” Hyatt said Thursday, when asked if he feels more relaxed after the Scarlet Knights notched an 88-50 win over Sacred Heart. “This offseason I realized that I have to get better. I really took pride in my catch-and-shoot and rebounding. I think those two aspects are going to help me out this season.”
Hyatt scored a career-high 19 points in that contest, following his 12-point, 10-rebound effort in the season opener against Columbia. Last season, he averaged only 4.3 points per game in his first campaign after transferring from LSU.
Cam Spencer added 18 points in the win over Sacred Heart, while Clifford Omoruyi chipped in 17 points. Spencer averages a team-high 17.5 points on the young season and also has swiped nine steals through the first two games.
“It looked pretty comfortable, didn’t it?” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell quipped after earning his 100th win with the Scarlet Knights.
To earn victory No. 101, Pikiell will need to slow down a UMass Lowell squad that is averaging 98.5 points through its first two games.
In Thursday’s 89-62 triumph against Columbia, the River Hawks were led by Yuri Covington’s 20 points off the bench. He made 4 of 6 shots from outside the arc as the team shot 9 of 18 from 3-point range and 57.4 percent from the field overall.
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly chipped in 13 points and 13 rebounds — his second straight double-double to begin the season — and Ayinde Hikim also contributed 13 points.
“It was good to get an early convincing road win where almost everybody contributed,” said coach Pat Duquette. “Our depth was huge tonight.”
–Field Level Media