Rutgers University
Rider
Beatty Leads RU to OT Win Over Rider
Dec 15 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Junior point guard James Beatty (Wilmington, N.C.) shot 7-of-9 from the field, including 6-of-8 from behind the arc, to score a career-high 21 points in helping Rutgers (7-2) to an 80-70 overtime victory over Rider (7-5) Tuesday evening at the RAC. Mike Rosario (Jersey City, N.J.) scored 18 points and Jonathan Mitchell (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) chipped-in a career-high 17, as the Scarlet Knights shut out the Broncs in the extra stanza to earn the victory.
The Rutgers defense, paced by Beatty and senior center Hamady Ndiaye (Dakar, Senegal) tormented the visitors all evening. Rider made just 35.6 percent (26-73) of its field goals and the Scarlet Knights, currently ranked second nationally in blocks, issued 10 rejections. Ndiaye, who ranks second nationally in blocks while also leading the BIG EAST in that category, had six rejections, including several key blocks in the game’s final stages.
On the offensive end, Rutgers shared the ball and had the hot hand from long range. The Scarlet Knights dished out 20 assists and deposited 12 three pointers, setting team highs for the most in those categories during fourth-year head coach Fred Hill’s tenure. RU shot 57.1 percent (12-21) from behind the arc.
Rutgers jumped-out to an early 6-2 lead, but Rider closed the gap in a first half that featured five lead changes and four ties. The Scarlet Knights built a 24-15 advantage with 10:36 remaining before the break after a Beatty trey. RU maintained its lead and was ahead by eight points (30-22), before the Broncs scored 17 of the opening stanza’s final 23 points to take a 39-36 advantage into the locker room at the midpoint.
Rider maintained a slim lead for the better part of the second half. The Scarlet Knights tied the game at 60-60 before the Broncs took a 66-63 advantage with 3:22 on the clock. Rutgers responded with a 7-2 run and was ahead by two points (70-68) with less than a minute to play, before Rider’s Ryan Thompson made a layup with nine seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
In the extra stanza, Rutgers scored all 10 of its points from the free throw line. Rider, conversely, could not register a point as the Scarlet Knights earned their first overtime victory since a 74-70, double-OT tilt versus Seton Hall at the RAC on Jan. 27, 2007.
Rutgers returns to the hardwood Saturday (Dec. 19) afternoon to host NJIT in a 2:00 p.m. tip-off.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The victory improves Rutgers’ record to 7-2, which is the best start after nine games during head coach Fred Hill’s four seasons leading the Scarlet Knights.
- Rutgers’ 12 three pointers is the most RU has tallied during Hill’s tenure. The last time RU hit 12 treys was against Penn State in a 76-71 victory in the first round of the NIT on March 14, 2006.
- Rutgers’ 20 assists is the most under Hill and the most for RU since the Scarlet Knights dished out 26 helpers in a 91-56 victory over Maine on Dec. 15, 2005.
- Ndiaye’s six blocks pushes his career total to 257, which moves him into third place on the school’s all-time list. He passed former Scarlet Knight Herve Lamizana who swatted 254 from 2001-04.
- James Beatty’s 21 points tripled his previous career high of seven against UMass and Marist earlier this season.
- Beatty’s six treys marks a career high and is the most a Scarlet Knight has hit since Mike Rosario notched six in RU’s last meeting with Rider on Dec. 3, 2008.
- Jonathan Mitchell’s 17 points marks a career high. His previous career high was 15, set twice. The RU co-captain has scored in double digits four times this season.
- Three Scarlet Knights scored in double digits for the sixth time this season with Beatty (21), Rosario (18) and Mitchell (17) all posting 10-plus. Rutgers is 5-1 this season when three Scarlet Knights notch 10-plus points.
- Tonight’s game marked the first time Rutgers went to overtime since a 64-63 loss to St. Bonaventure on Nov. 23, 2008. The win marks the first time the Scarlet Knights have won in overtime since a 74-70 victory in double overtime against Seton Hall on Jan. 27, 2007.
- Rutgers started the same lineup for the second straight game with Rosario, Mike Coburn, Patrick Jackson, Mitchell and Ndiaye getting the nod. Coburn, Jackson and Mitchell have started all nine games this season.
- Ndiaye’s 11 rebounds is a season high and marks the second straight game and seventh time in his career that he has pulled down 10-plus boards. Ndiaye’s career high in rebounds is 12 (vs. Seton Hall, Jan. 30, 2008).
- Ndiaye’s six rejections marks the 12th career game he has swatted six plus and the 42nd time he has collected three or more rejections. The BIG EAST’s leading blocker has swatted three or more blocks each game this season.
- Rosario’s 18 points marks the 35th time in his 41 career games that he has scored in double digits.
- Rosario’s four three pointers marks the 13th time, and fourth time this season, that he has hit four or more from behind the arc.
- Rosario tied a career high in rebounds with seven for the second straight game and it marks the fourth time he has pulled down that amount.
- Coburn’s five assists marks the eighth time in his career, and fifth time this season, he has dished out five or more helpers.
- Austin Johnson’s six points is a career high.
RUTGERS HEAD COACH FRED HILL
On the performance of junior point guard James Beatty:
“He was outstanding. I think everybody will look at his line and see 7-9, 6-8 from three, 1-2 from the line, four assists, no turnovers, 21 points and a block but it was his defense that changed the game. As good as he was on the offensive end, defensively, Ryan Thompson is a heck of a player, and it is a tough matchup for our young guys, Pat Jackson and Dane Miller. I thought they had their moments but I just felt I needed somebody a little smaller and quicker on the defensive end and I think that’s what changed the game.”
“I think he (Beatty) had seven games in junior college where he hit five or more threes. He is certainly a capable shooter. Tonight he got open looks and he buried them. That’s what you need to do when you get open looks. On a night when Mike Rosario was struggling offensively you need people to step up and I thought that JB and Jonathan Mitchell were those guys.”
On the overall performance of his team:
‘We still have to clean up our rebounding. We gave up 18 offensive rebounds. It is something we need to continue to work on and we have worked very hard on it. We are a little small and we got a little tired. H (Hamady Ndiaye) had to play 38 minutes and God bless the kid. He’s a warrior. I think he wore down a little and wasn’t as quick to the ball. That was the great thing about having him and Gregory (Echenique). You could rotate the minutes: One would play 18, one would play 22 or 24. Now with H having to play so many minutes it wears him down a little bit, but he was a warrior tonight. I don’t know how many blocks he had in overtime, but besides JB doing a great job on Thompson, I thought H had a couple of key blocks in overtime.”
On shooting 10-for-14 from the free-throw line in overtime:
“That’s the way we shot last year as a team, 71 percent. We’re just going to keep at it and we made them when we counted. That’s the sign of a maturing team. Veterans go up and knock them down when they count.”
RIDER HEAD COACH TOMMY DEMPSEY
Game thoughts:
“I thought it was a hard fought, overall well played game. I thought Rutgers played very well and James Beatty just made big shots. He made the one that gave them their first lead in the second half and that was a big momentum change for them.
“I thought that we were a little tired in the overtime. Hamady Ndiaye was able to bail Rutgers out on some blocks especially one big block late.”
On the play of James Beatty:
“He got hot and we needed to make the adjustments. We didn’t come into tonight’s game playing him as a shooter. Once he made his first two shots we did tell the guys that he was now two for two and try to re-adjust. I just thought that he got into a zone on us and made big shots.”
On the play of Ryan Thompson:
“We tried to ride him a little bit because he had the hot hand and we went with him. Rutgers did a better job in the second half of face guarding him and really trying to keep the ball out of his hands and wearing him out.”
“I tried to take him out and rest him right before the media timeouts because I knew that the stretch run would be big. He was the type of player tonight that we need him to be in league.”
