Jeremiah Williams scored 15 points, Jamichael Davis had 11 and Aundre Hyatt chipped in 10 as host Rutgers rallied past Northwestern 63-60 Thursday in Piscataway, N.J., to earn its fourth straight victory.
Rutgers (14-10, 6-7 Big Ten) outscored the shorthanded Wildcats 36-26 after halftime while limiting Northwestern to 36 percent shooting for the game.
Boo Buie paced the Wildcats (17-8, 8-6) with 27 points while Brooks Barnhizer had a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds. It wasn’t enough, though, as the visitors struggled with a lack of depth.
Northwestern, which announced Wednesday that guard Ty Berry would undergo season-ending knee surgery, lost fellow long-range threat Ryan Langborg to an ejection midway through the first half.
Following a review, referees ruled Langborg committed a Flagrant 2 foul against Davis when Langborg made contact upon shifting his elbows to protect the ball from defenders.
Rutgers used a 13-2 run to tie the game at 44 on Clifford Omoruyi’s three-point play off a dunk with 11:37 to go in the game.
Northwestern responded by scoring the next seven points. Justin Mullins split a pair of free throws during the sequence, awarded after Rutgers’ Emmanuel Ogbole was called for Flagrant 1 foul upon tripping Mullins following a turnover.
The Scarlet Knights rallied to take a 52-51 lead on Derek Simpson’s jumper with 5:18 left, their first advantage since 5-4. Rutgers extended the lead to five behind a 12-0 run.
Northwestern fought back, with Barnhizer hitting a trey with 1:20 left to tie the game at 58, but Hyatt had the answer from deep at the other end on the ensuing possession.
Northwestern drew to within a point on a pair of Buie free throws before Williams hit a layup.
Rutgers was unable to extend the lead to two possessions when Hyatt missed a free throw, however, but Buie’s attempt at a tying 3 as time expired was blocked.
Omoruyi had nine points and nine rebounds for Rutgers.
Fueled by an early 15-0 run that included eight points from Buie, Northwestern led for much of the first half. The Wildcats led by as many as 13 before withstanding a late Rutgers flurry to take a 34-27 lead into the break.
The Scarlet Knights’ Mawot Mag (9.8 points per game) missed the contest with knee soreness.
–Field Level Media