Noah Fernandes scored 13 of his season-high 19 points in the second half as host Rutgers withstood a sluggish opening half and pulled away for a 71-40 rout of Saint Peter’s Monday night in Piscataway, N.J.
The Scarlet Knights (5-1) won their fifth straight since a season-opening loss to Princeton and appeared to be a different team after struggling to score at various points of the first half.
Fernandes produced his best game since joining Rutgers as a graduate transfer from UMass. The guard made five of nine shots and hit all nine free throw attempts in a 26-minute stint to help the Scarlet Knights lead by as many as 37.
Clifford Omoruyi added 10 of his 17 points in the second half and narrowly missed his third double-double by collecting eight rebounds in 27 minutes. Derek Simpson contributed 10 points as the Scarlet Knights shot 38.2 percent in their first game since shooting a season-best 54.2 percent in an 85-63 rout of Howard on Nov. 18.
Michael Houge collected 16 points and 12 rebounds to finish as the lone double-figure scorer for the Peacocks (1-4), who shot 23.6 percent in their second game against a power-conference opponent this season. The Peacocks also missed 16 of 19 3-point tries and 10 free throws while committing 23 turnovers.
Rutgers appeared to take control when it ripped off seven straight points for an 18-9 lead on a Fernandes’ basket with 8:17 to go in the first half. The Peacocks stayed within striking distance and trailed 20-15 on Brent Bland’s 3-pointer with 4:03 left.
The Scarlet Knights held a 27-17 lead by halftime after Omoruyi’s layup with 56 seconds left.
Rutgers began asserting its will in the opening minutes of the second half and three-point plays by Omoruyi and Fernandes put the Scarlet Knights ahead 40-21 with 16:14 left. A second three-point play by Fernandes gave Rutgers its first 20-point lead at 44-24 with 13:09 left, and Hyatt’s triple made it 49-24 a little more than a minute later.
–Field Level Media