It wasn’t pretty for Rutgers, but it was effective.
It was gritty, it was physical, at times it was ugly, but it was also a defensive clinic.
In a defensive battle, the Scarlet Knights secured a 48-46 win over Iowa, Wednesday night in Piscataway, NJ.
Ron Harper Jr., after the game said it best: “That was an old-fashioned Rutgers win.”
Iowa came into this game winners of five of their last six games. Keegan Murray (23.9 points per game) is the country’s top scorer. The Hawkeyes were fourth in the nation, tops in the Big 10 conference, with a scoring offense of 86.2 points per game. This is one of the elite scoring teams in the nation.
But Rutgers was up to the challenge. Murray was limited to 13 points on just 5-for-14 shooting from the field. The Hawkeyes struggled to the tune of just 27.9 percent from the field.
Nothing came easy in this one, as it went down to the wire.
With five seconds left to play, tied at 46-46, the referees called Murray for a defensive foul on Harper Jr., clearly controversial. Harper Jr. hit both free throws to give Rutgers the lead.
Iowa had one last chance when Connor McCaffery threw a great inbounds pass to Murray. However, Murray’s turnaround shot at the buzzer fell short.
For Rutgers and Iowa, four of their last six meetings were decided by five points or less.
Harper Jr. let the Scarlet Knights with 15 points, along with five rebounds.
In a game where both teams went through multiple scoring droughts, it was a standout performance by Rutgers shutting down one of the nation’s elite scoring offenses.
This is a crucial point in the schedule for Rutgers. Getting Quad 1 wins is a must for this team’s March resume. Rutgers must continue to protect their home court. Stacking wins won’t come easy, but at 5-2 in the conference, four of their next six home games are against Quad 1 opponents.
