Rutgers University
Jackson State
Rutgers Edged by Jackson State 71-70
Nov 21 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers men's basketball team lost to Jackson State, 71-70, in the second round of the Chicago Challenge Invitational on Tuesday night at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The Scarlet Knights (1-2) mounted a 15-point comeback to surge ahead in the final minutes, but Jackson State's Catraiva Givens connected on a three-pointer with one second remaining to lift the Tigers (1-4) to their first win of the season.
Five Scarlet Knights scored in double digits, led by JR Inman (Pomona, N.Y.) and Marquis Webb (Paterson, N.J.), who each scored 12 points.
There were five lead changes in the first half. Rutgers led by four points on four separate occasions, but Jackson State battled back to pull ahead of the Scarlet Knights, 40-31, at halftime. The Tigers were led by Kay Martinez's 14 first-half points, while Adrian Hill (Canton, Ohio) and Webbled Rutgers with seven points each.
Jackson State came out strong in the second half, and after just over three minutes of play, increased its lead to a game-high 15 points (47-32).
Rutgers managed to regain the momentum and close the Jackson State lead to seven points following a dunk by Hamady N'Diaye (Dakar, Senegal) with 10:07 left. Courtney Nelson's (Newark, N.J.) two free throws at the 6:34 mark cut the lead to just one point and Jaron Griffin's (Manchester, N.J.) layup seconds later gave RU its first lead of the half, 60-59, with four minutes left. The two teams traded leads over the next five minutes, with Jackson State taking a 68-65 edge with 2:07 left on Grant Maxey's free throw. Anthony Farmer (Millville, NJ) hit a layup to pull Rutgers to within one with 1:40 left, and then Nelson drained a three-pointer with 1:13 remaining to give RU a 70-68 lead , before Givens' three-pointer with one second remaining sealed it for the Tigers.
Hill, Griffin, and N'Diaye added 11 points each for the Scarlet Knights, and Inman pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Jackson State was led by Trey Johnson, who scored 20 points, while teammate Julius Young led the Tigers with six rebounds. Rutgers shot a season-high 38 percent from three-point range hitting 6-of-16, but Jackson State converted 53 percent of its shots from that beyond the arc (8-of-15).
The Scarlet Knights take to the road for the first time this season, traveling to Hoffman Estates, Ill., to continue play in the Chicago Challenge Invitational with a third round game on Friday, Nov. 24, against Bradley. The championship and consolation rounds will be played on Saturday, Nov. 25.
POSTGAME NOTES
WITH THE LOSS
Rutgers fell to Jackson State on Tuesday night on a three-pointer by Catraiva Givens with one second remaining, as the Tigers recorded their first win of the season. With the loss, the Scarlet Knights fall to 1-2 on the year.
FIVE SCARLET KNIGHTS IN DOUBLE FIGURES
In the game against Jackson State on Tuesday night, five Scarlet Knights scored in double figures.
Name FG-FGA 3FG-3FGA FT-FTA TP
Marquis Webb 4-9 2-6 2-2 12
JR Inman 3-9 2-4 4-6 12
Adrian Hill 4-7 0-0 3-6 11
Jaron Griffin 4-11 0-2 3-3 11
Hamady N'diaye 4-4 0-0 3-3 11
CAREER HIGHS
Freshman center Hamady N'diaye posted double-figures for the first time in his career, scoring 11 points. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and went 3-for-3 from the free throw line. On the boards, N'diaye also pulled down a career-best and game-high five offensive rebounds.
With three steals against Jackson State, Adrian Hill set a new career-high, having previously tallied two steals twice in his career.
THE LINE IS KIND
Rutgers finished the game 18-for-23 from the free throw line, including 6-for-6 in the first half. The Scarlet Knights 78.3% performance from the line is the best since the team shot 93.3% (14-for-15) against Notre Dame on Feb. 8, 2006.
