Rutgers ends season with loss to Creighton in College Basketball Crown

Three weeks after it had looked like Rutgers Basketball’s season came to a close, it suited up one final time after an invite to the College Basketball Crown.

Now, the Scarlet Knights’ (14-20, 6-14) season has officially ended.

Rutgers lost 82-69 to Creighton, in a tale of two halves — or even two parts of the same half.

The Scarlet Knights’ offense screeched to a halt after a red-hot start and double-digit lead, as the Bluejays (16-17) weathered a slow shooting start to eventually take the lead before halftime and pulled away in the second half.

Creighton’s outgoing head coach Greg McDermott will last one more game in his illustrious career.

Rutgers, on the other hand, finished its third straight losing season and registered 20 losses for the first time in head coach Steve Pikiell’s tenure. The most recent 20-loss season came in Eddie Jordan’s final 7-25 campaign in 2015-16.

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Scarlet Knights struggle to score after hot start

Rutgers finished the game with a 24-for-65 shooting clip from the floor (37 percent) and just 2-for-14 from beyond the arc. Following a 22-12 lead and 9-for-14 start from the floor in the opening ten minutes, the Scarlet Knights were outscored 70-47 and shot 15-for-51 (29.4 percent) the rest of the way.

Tariq Francis closed his first season with the program with a team-high 19 points, though he did battle a rough shooting night with a 3-for-14 clip from the floor. He continued to excel at the foul line with another 12-for-12 performance from the line.

Jamichael Davis found some success scoring the ball in the second half, scoring 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting, with 12 of those points coming in the second half. Lino Mark capped off his freshman year with 14 points and seven rebounds on 5-for-14 shooting, along with two steals.

Nik Graves led the way for the Bluejays with a game-high 28 points, including 25 in the second half alone. Jasen Green (16 points) and Josh Dix (14 points) also scored in double figures.

Up-and-down first half ends sour

Rutgers played like a team with fresh legs, off a two-week break to open the game in the first half.

The Scarlet Knights ran the floor, attacked on defense, and knocked down shots at a high clip.

They took a 22-12 lead after ten minutes with a 9-for-14 start from the floor, as the Bluejays stumbled dealing with Rutgers’ pressure and speed.

Once they found their footing midway through the half, it was all systems a go.

Creighton ended the first half on a 19-6 run, as Rutgers’ offense sputtered to end the half. Once the Bluejays started knocking down their three-pointers, the offense opened up and the game slowed down, to the Scarlet Knights’ detriment.

They missed 15 of their final 16 shots from the floor — including six straight three-pointers — and went without a field goal for two straight five-minute stretches to end the half.

Francis and Mark led the hot start to the half, combining for 17 of the team’s 28 points. Mark helped kickstart the transition game with two steals, one resulting in an alley-oop dunk. Francis got to the foul line but struggled with his efficiency after the hot start.

Offense stays cold in the second half

The Bluejays continued to expand on their lead in the second half, combining their usual shotmaking skill with containing Rutgers on the opposite end of the floor.

Creighton’s lead ballooned to as much as 17 points towards the stretch of the second half, led by a strong performance drawing fouls and getting to the basket.

The Scarlet Knights did fight back after their biggest deficit of the night, but the Bluejays were able to get the key scores against Rutgers’ full-court pressure to put the game away.

As a team, the Scarlet Knights shot 12-for-32 (37.5 percent) in the second half. Creighton shot a blistering 62.5 percent (15-for-24) and knocked down four three-pointers. Rutgers was outscored 51-41 in the second half.

Up next

Rutgers Basketball’s season has come to a close in the College Basketball Crown, and will head to the offseason next, with the transfer portal set to open on Tuesday.

Creighton will move on to face West Virginia in the Crown semifinals on Saturday at 1 pm PST.