CHAPEL HILL, NC - Rutgers (9-3) trimmed a 17-point second half deficit to just four points, but would get no closer in an 81-67 loss to No. 9-ranked and defending National Champion North Carolina (10-3) Monday evening at the Dean E. Smith Center. Mike Rosario (Jersey City, N.J.) scored a game-high 22 points on 10-21 shooting to spark the Scarlet Knights before 21,023 powder blue-clad fans.
“We played a little combination defense that helped get us back in it,” said head coach Fred Hill. “It helped us on the defensive end and it created turnovers to get us out running and I thought we were very good in transition getting baskets to get us back in the game.”
Rosario was joined in double figures by junior forward Jonathan Mitchell (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) and freshman wing Dane Miller (Henrietta, N.Y.). Mitchell scored 14 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds. Miller posted 11 points and eight boards.
The Tar Heels utilized a decisive size advantage to out-rebound the Scarlet Knights and to shoot 35 free throws. The Scarlet Knights, conversely, had just nine attempts from the charity stripe. Rutgers dished out 14 assists and forced 16 UNC turnovers.
The beginning of the contest was played at a furious, back-and-forth, pace. The Scarlet Knights jumped-out to 12-7 lead as Mitchell had the hot hand early. UNC responded with a 9-0 run en route to developing a four point advantage. With both teams shooting at better than 50 percent for the majority of the opening half, Rutgers took a 25-23 lead on a Hamady Ndiaye (Dakar, Senegal) dunk with 9:59 on the clock.
Ndiaye was hampered by foul troubles all evening. With the nation’s leading shot blocker sidelined late in the opening stanza, UNC closed well and entered the locker room at the midpoint with a 39-33 advantage.
Ndiaye picked up his fourth foul less than a minute into the second half, forcing him to the bench. UNC took further advantage as it started the second half on a 9-2 run to extend its lead to 48-35.
UNC continued to push its lead and increased it to 17 points (61-44) with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Ndiaye reentered the contest at the 11:55 mark and inspired a run that cut UNC’s advantage to 71-67 with 2:08 remaining in the contest.
The Tar Heels hit their free throw down the stretch, scoring the game’s final 10 points to register the 81-67 final score.
Rutgers returns to the hardwood to host Cincinnati Saturday evening (Jan. 2) at 8:00 p.m. in the Scarlet Knights’ BIG EAST opener. The game will be televised live on SNY.
GAME NOTES
· The loss snapped Rutgers six-game win streak, which was the longest RU winning streak since the squad won eight straight from November to December in 2001.
· Mike Rosario’s game-high 22 points marks the 16th time he has scored 20-plus, including five times this season. It marked the second time this season he has netted 20 or more points in back-to-back games this season. Rosario scored 22 against Vermont (Nov. 22) and UMass (Nov. 27).
· Rosario has now scored in double digits in 38 of his 44 games as a Scarlet Knight. Rosario has led Rutgers in scoring 28 times.
· Rosario made a career-high 10 field goals for the second straight game.
· Rosario’s 13 first-half points marks 17th time he has notched 10-plus points by intermission.
· Rosario is averaging 24.0 points in two career games versus the Tar Heels. As a true freshman last season he scored 26 points at the Dean Dome.
· James Beatty got his second start of the season. He also started against Colgate on Nov. 7.
· Beatty had a career-high six assists.
· Three Scarlet Knights scored in double digits for the eighth time this season with Rosario (22), Jonathan Mitchell (14) and Dane Miler (11). Rutgers is 6-2 this season when three Scarlet Knights notch 10-plus points.
· Mitchell had a career-high nine rebounds.
· Rutgers had a season-high 70 field goal attempts, the most for the Scarlet Knights during the tenure of fourth-year head coach Fred Hill. It marked the most for an RU team since the Scarlet Knights also attempted 70 versus Syracuse on February 1, 2006, in an 86-84 overtime loss. It marked the most in a regulation game since RU attempted 74 shots versus UConn on January 15, 2005.
