Rutgers rolled by red-hot Hoosiers, drop third straight

Rutgers Basketball dropped their third consecutive game, falling to the red-hot Indiana Hoosiers by a score of 82-59 in Jersey Mike’s Arena on Friday night. The loss brings the Scarlet Knights to 2-7 in Big Ten play, and 9-11 overall. The Hoosiers improve to 13-7 overall and 4-5 in conference play with the win.

Coming into the matchup, Rutgers had beaten Indiana in nine of their last 12 meetings.

Tariq Francis was the only player who did much of anything for the Scarlet Knights. He finished the game with 28 points in 28 minutes.

Lamar Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries, and Nick Dorn carried the load for the Hoosiers, outscoring the Scarlet Knights by themselves. All three of them eclipsed 20 points, hit at least four threes, and combined for 72. Wilkerson got the scoring started early, and finished with 27 points. DeVries put up 22 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Dorn scored 23, and connected on six triples.

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New lineup starts slow

Steve Pikiell switched up the starting lineup for the first time in three games, slotting in forward Dylan Grant for Harun Zrno, and Emmanuel Ogbole in for Bryce Dortch.

It was a slow start for the new look lineup of the Scarlet Knights, as the Hoosiers jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, with Rutgers missing its first five shots. Darren Buchanan Jr. would get fouled on a corner three-point attempt and covert on a pair of free throws to get the Scarlet Knights on the board.

Tariq Francis and Harun Zrno subbed in prior to the under-16 timeout as the offense came out flat. Francis put in the first field goal for Rutgers, and began trading buckets with the stars of Indiana. Francis scored 14 of the first 19 for the Scarlet Knights, and was the only player to hit a shot from the floor until the seven-minute mark of the first half – when Jamichael Davis converted on an and-one layup after a steal.

Wilkerson, DeVries, and Dorn catch fire

Tucker DeVries hit a pull-up three in transition to give Indiana their largest lead of the night at 14 with six minutes to go in the half. A quick pair of threes from Kaden Powers cut the lead back to eight at the under-four timeout.

Unfortunately for the Scarlet Knights, they continued to have no answer for the shooters of the Hoosiers.

Wilkerson, DeVries, and Dorn scored 43 of the 47 first-half points for the Hoosiers. Wilkerson and DeVries got it started early, and Dorn scored nine straight in the closing minutes of the first half to push the lead back to double figures. A pair of free throws from Tayton Conerway pushed the lead to 17.

Tariq Francis put in a tough layup, giving him 21 of the Scarlet Knights’ 32 first-half points, and sent Rutgers into the locker room facing a 15-point deficit.

Scarlet Knights trade buckets, Hoosiers remain hot

Rutgers opened the second half with a Dylan Grant triple, giving him his first points of the evening. Lamar Wilkerson immediately responded with a three-pointer of his own.

Nick Dorn hit his fourth triple of the night to give the Hoosiers their largest lead at 18 points. Jamichael Davis answered with a three-pointer on the other end. Another Dorn three, followed up by a DeVries layup, gave Indiana a 20-point lead at the under-16 timeout of the second half.

In the first 36 minutes of the game, Wilkerson, DeVries, and Dorn combined for 56 of the Hoosiers’ 60.

Rutgers tries to rally

Francis found Bryce Dortch for a layup at the 14:14 mark of the second half to kick off a small run for the Scarlet Knights. Darren Buchanan Jr. got out in transition and put in his first bucket of the game with an and-one. Francis converted on a tough floater at the foul line to extend the run to 7-0.

Darian DeVries quickly called a timeout with 13 minutes to go in an attempt to halt the Rutgers run. Nick Dorn responded promptly with his sixth three-pointer of the game.

A sweeping shot in the lane fell for Buchanan, and the Scarlet Knights trailed by 14 at the under-12 timeout. Coming out of the break Francis connected on a turnaround jumper to cut the lead to 12, and that was the closest Rutgers would get.

Next up

Rutgers Basketball remains at home for the second consecutive game on Tuesday night, taking on the Michigan State Spartans. That game will tip-off at 6:30 and be broadcasted on FS1.