Clifford Omoruyi racked up 19 points, 15 rebounds and two blocked shots and Rutgers bullied visiting Michigan in an 82-52 victory Thursday night in Piscataway, N.J.
Rutgers (15-13, 7-10 Big Ten) made its first seven shots and 16 of its first 22 attempts in a rare display of offensive prowess. The Scarlet Knights shot 52.4 percent on the night (33 of 63), their second-best shooting percentage all season.
Jeremiah Williams also tallied 19 points, as he and Omoruyi combined to shoot 18-for-23. Noah Fernandes had 11 points with 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, and Aundre Hyatt had 10 points and six boards for Rutgers.
Michigan (8-21, 3-15) lost its sixth straight game for the first time since 2011. It’s now guaranteed to finish last in the 14-team Big Ten.
Dug McDaniel led the Wolverines with 13 points. It was his first time playing on the road since completing a six-game suspension for away games only due to academic issues. Tarris Reed Jr. had 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Scarlet Knights outscored the Wolverines 48-18 in the paint and 18-3 on fastbreaks.
Rutgers used its hot-shooting start to race out to a 14-1 lead, with buckets from five players. Williams notched nine of Rutgers’ first 18 points.
Fernandes made a pair of 3-pointers 1:02 apart to launch an 11-0 Rutgers run that blew the game open at 41-16.
But the Scarlet Knights cooled off, failing to score for the final 5:27 of the first half. McDaniel made two 3-pointers in a 10-0 Michigan run to close the half, bringing the Wolverines within 15 at halftime.
Omoruyi’s fastbreak dunk and Jamichael Davis’ fastbreak layup capped a 9-0 Rutgers run to make it 50-28 with 17:26 to play. Reed converted a three-point play to bring Michigan within 19, but the Wolverines trailed by at least 20 for the final 16:47.
–Field Level Media