Rutgers University
St. Francis (N.Y.)
Mack Leads MBB to 76-73 Victory
Nov 23 | Men's Basketball
Box Score
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Senior guard Myles Mack scored 25 points, made eight steals and grabbed six rebounds to help Rutgers (2-1) to a 76-73 win over St. Francis-Brooklyn (0-3) Sunday evening at the RAC. With fellow team captain Kadeem Jack back in the lineup, Mack was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line, including a pair with 26 seconds left to break a tie and provide the home crowd an exciting victory.
Mack's eight steals marked the second most in school history and signaled the most since Mike Dabney had nine versus Navy on Feb. 7, 1976. Dabney had nine steals twice that season, while current Rutgers head coach Eddie Jordan also had nine versus Penn State on March 2, 1974.
Mack was joined in double figures by Jack and sophomore forward Junior Etou, who posted 13 and 12 points, respectively. Jack was 5-of-11 from the field, had five rebounds and three assists after missing the season's first two contests with a thumb injury. Etou shot 5-of-8, while grabbing nine rebounds, to fall just shy of his second straight double-double.
Behind Mack's eight thefts, the Scarlet Knights forced the Terriers into 21 miscues, resulting in a 20-10 advantage in points-off-turnovers.
Rutgers jumped-out to a 9-2 lead and held a double-digit advantage for much of the first half as the home squad shot 48.5 percent (16-of-33) in the opening 20 minutes. Freshman forward D.J. Foreman hit his first career three pointer at the buzzer to send Rutgers into the locker room at the midpoint with a 45-32 advantage.
St. Francis scored 17 of the initial 24 points after the break to close its deficit to three points (52-49) with 12:49 remaining. With Kadeem Jack and Greg Lewis in foul trouble and Rutgers struggling to find its shot, the Terriers persistently chipped away.
St. Francis took its first lead of the contest, 59-58, with 9:09 remaining on a three-pointer. The Terriers then developed a four-point advantage (65-61) with just over six minutes to go.
The home squad, however, would not be denied. An Etou three-pointer tied the score at 69-69 as Rutgers scored 10 of the contest's final 14 points to secure the victory in a game that featured eight ties and six lead changes.
Rutgers shot 44.6 percent (25-of-56), while the Terriers made 46.4 percent (26-of-56) of their field goal attempts. The visitors also established a 41-30 rebounding advantage.
The Scarlet Knights return to the hardwood on Tuesday (Nov. 25) to host St. Peter's in a 7 p.m. tip-off at the RAC. The game will be televised live on BTN.
POSTGAME NOTES
· Senior guard Myles Mack's eight steals were a career high and were the second highest single-game total in school history. It was the most since Mike Dabney had nine steals on Feb. 7, 1976 vs. Navy. Dabney had nine steals twice that season, while current Rutgers head coach Eddie Jordan also had nine versus Penn State on March 2, 1974
· Mack now has 165 steals for his career, passing Rick Dadika for sixth among Rutgers' career leaders.
· Mack scored in double figures for the 65th time, and scored 20-plus points for the 15th time in his career.
· With 25 points scored he now sits at 1,276 for his career, moving past Keith Hughes and Rob Hodgson for 16th place all-time.
· Mack was on the floor for a career-high 38 minutes.
· Junior Etou led the team in rebounding for the third consecutive game, collecting nine rebounds. He has led Rutgers in rebounding seven times in his career.
· Kadeem Jack tied his career-high with three assists. He scored in double digits for the 33rd time in his career. Jack made his first start of the season after missing the first two games with a thumb injury.
· Rutgers' 45 points in the first half was the highest single-half output thus far this season and the most points Rutgers scored in a single half since a 48-point half versus Memphis on Feb. 4, 2014.
· Behind Mack's eight thefts, the Scarlet Knights forced the Terriers in to 21 miscues, resulting in a 20-10 advantage in points-off-turnovers.
· Freshman forward D.J. Foreman hit his first career three-pointer at the first half buzzer, to send Rutgers to the locker room leading 45-32.
· Rutgers used its third different starting lineup of the year, opening with guard Myles Mack, guard Bishop Daniels, forward Kadeem Jack, forward Junior Etou and center Greg Lewis.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Rutgers Head Coach Eddie Jordan
Opening Statement: "St. Francis is a good team. They are potentially an NCAA team. They're a favorite to win their league. They took it to us. We saw in film how they played Army, how they played Georgetown. And give them credit, they came back. They did what they do. They were great at what they're good at. They offensive rebound and they pressure the ball and they pressure the wings. And they make you make plays, they make you rebound and we didn't do that tonight. But for the most part we made timely stops, timely free throws, a big basket by Kadeem…obviously Myles was good the entire game. But there were some things that were good for us, again that probably won't show up in the box score. We played pretty good defense, we stuck together, even though the made the run, got the lead, we didn't panic. We didn't point fingers. We didn't self-destruct. So that's a credit to us."
On Mack's performance: "He was really good the entire game. 38 minutes, eight steals, 25 points, six defensive rebounds, and he was the…he told the whole team he was the leader. With it being Kadeem's first game back, we had to monitor, sort of see his stamina, see how his conditioning was. He made a huge shot, a big time shot off the glass. So both of them made big plays. And Junior was just as solid defensively and rebounding wise, the entire game.
St. Francis Brooklyn Head Coach Glenn Braica
On last offensive possession: "No (the plan was not to attempt a three-pointer). The clock was getting late so we went to go to a ball screen. We tried some other stuff before that, but it didn't work. So we went to the ball screen. I thought he had an okay look, not a great look. They defended it."
On play in the first half: "We didn't play very well in the first half, but part of that is because of Rutgers' size, athleticism and some of the stuff that they do. I thought it bothered us early in the way they played the ball screens. We just didn't have the energy; we usually don't play like that. They did a good job and caused some of that. But our guys don't give up and came out and played hard in the second half."
On Myles Mack: "Myles (Mack) is a great player. I recruited him when I was at St. John's - he's terrific. He made a great shot that I just couldn't believe went in. As did Kadeem (Jack) and (Junior) Etou, who hit the big three that gave them the lead. Give them credit. They made plays and that's why they won."
On status of team: "I think we are going to be alright this year, but have to stop turning over the ball. We have to value possessions early in the game because they can come back to bite you later on."
