Clifford Omoruyi totaled 17 points, 14 rebounds and a career-high six blocks as Rutgers dominated from the outset and rolled to an 85-50 victory over visiting Bucknell on Friday in Piscataway, N.J.
Omoruyi scored all of his points by halftime and notched his fourth double-double. The center made 7 of 10 shots and converted six of Rutgers’ dunks. He upped his season total to 33 dunks and helped the Scarlet Knights score 48 points in the paint.
Caleb McConnell added 14 points and seven assists as the Scarlet Knights (8-4) notched their second straight lopsided victory after consecutive gut-wrenching losses to Ohio State on Dec. 8 and Seton Hall Dec. 11.
Aundre Hyatt contributed 11 and Derek Simpson chipped in 10 as Rutgers shot 49.3 percent, made 16 of 18 free throws and converted 21 layups and dunks in its 50th home win over the past seasons.
Xander Rice led Bucknell (7-6) with 13 points as the New Jersey native made 5 of 11 shots in front of his father King Rice, the coach of Monmouth. Ian Motta added 10 for the Bisons, who shot a dreadful 31 percent and committed 15 turnovers en route to their third loss in four games and 15th straight defeat to Rutgers.
Rutgers made eight of its first 10 shots and opened a 16-4 lead on Omoruyi’s second dunk a little over six minutes in. The Scarlet Knights then ripped off nine straight points for a 27-9 lead on two free throws by Simpson with 10:18 remaining.
After Omoruyi’s fifth dunk made it 34-17 with 5:12 left, the Scarlet Knights held a 44-26 advantage by halftime. Simpson’s dunk capped a 12-2 run and extended the lead to 58-30 with 12:10 left before McConnell’s layup capped an 11-0 run for a 69-32 edge with 8:02 remaining to effectively seal matters.
–Field Level Media