Rutgers University
Manhattan
MBB Downs Manhattan, 63-55
Dec 14 | Men's Basketball
Photo Gallery | Box Score
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Kadeem Jack and Junior Etou both had strong performances to propel Rutgers (6-4) to a 63-55 victory over Manhattan (2-6) in the 2014 Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon. Jack posted a season-high 24 points along with nine rebounds, while Etou added 16 points and eight boards in the hard-fought win.
Jack (8-of-8) and Etou (7-of-7) combined to shoot 15-of-15 from the free throw line as the Scarlet Knights shot 23-of-25 overall from the charity stripe. It marked the most free throws in a game for RU since it deposited 24-of-30 in a 72-68 win over USF in last season's AAC Championship.
Rutgers started the first half hot from the field, shooting 6-of-10 to run out to a 17-9 lead after a Mike Williams' three pointer. The Scarlet Knights were able to break down the Jaspers' defense and execute their offensive sets.
Etou and Jack were big contributors to the offense as they held the advantage throughout the duration of the first half. Jack threw down two dunks in the first stanza, and Etou paced the squad with 11 points, including a three-pointer that sent the Scarlet Knights into the halftime locker room with a 35-25 lead.
The Scarlet Knights shot 59 percent (13-of-22) in the first half, while holding the Jaspers to a 39 percent (9-of-23) effort from the field.
Coming out of the break, the Scarlet Knights extended the lead to 13 at 42-29, but the Jaspers used an early run to cut into that deficit. Manhattan went on a 10-2 burst and reduced the Rutgers lead to 44-39.
The teams went back-and-forth from there, with the Jaspers getting within two points at 50-48. Jack responded with a reverse layup, and Etou had a dunk and added a free throw to push the lead to 55-50.
Rutgers held Manhattan off down the stretch, completing the eight-point victory. The Scarlet Knights sealed the win with strong free throw shooting, making 16 of 17 attempts from the charity stripe in the second half, including a perfect 8-of-8 from Jack.
For the game, Rutgers established a 35-23 edge in rebounding. The Scarlet Knights shot a season-best 46.3 percent from the floor (19-of-41) and recorded eight steals and six blocked shots. Fifteen of RU's 19 field goals featured an assist.
Rutgers returns to action on Saturday (Dec. 20) to host St. Francis (Pa.) at the RAC in a 2 p.m. tip-off. The game will be televised live via the web on BTN Plus.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The Scarlet Knights improved to 18-14 all-time against Manhattan and 11-9 all-time in the MSG Holiday Festival.
- Jack had a season high 24 points. It was his second time this season with 20-plus points and the sixth time in his career he reached the 20 point plateau.
- Jack was a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line, all coming in the second half.
- Jack tied a season-high with four dunks and tied a career-high with three assists.
- Junior Etou finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. It was the fifth time this season and the 11th time in his career he scored in double-digits.
- Rutgers was 23-of-25 at the free throw line (92.0 percent). It marked the most free throws in a game for RU since it deposited 24-of-30 in a 72-68 win over USF in last season's AAC Championship. It was their best free throw percentage since making 100 percent (3-of-3) at Marquette on Feb. 22, 2012.
- Rutgers shot 46.3 percent from the field, their best field goal percentage of the season.
- Bishop Daniels returned after missing four games with an ankle injury.
- Rutgers' starting lineup was guard Myles Mack, guard Mike Williams, forward Junior Etou, forward Kadeem Jack and center Greg Lewis.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Rutgers Head Coach Eddie Jordan
On today's game: "We knew what to expect. We knew they would trap us and take Myles [Mack] away, do a lot of pressure on the floor, changing up their zones and their defenses. We didn't handle it as well as I thought we could. However, we made free throws down the stretch. We found some open areas in the zone where Kadeem [Jack] could flash up and be available and get his shot attempts up - he was successful doing that. It got to a point where the team who made less mistakes, probably [was going] to win. There was a lot of turnovers, a lot of missed plays, a lot of not so pretty basketball, but we were resilient enough to do the things we had to do to keep the lead and to win the game down the stretch."
On the importance of Forward Kadeem Jack: "Well, again, he has to stay alert first of all. He's got all the skills to be very good - just being alert every tick of the clock and not going through some lapses where he's not paying attention to what's going on, to what's next, being proactive. If he could just stay alert and aware more than he - sometimes he just kind of drifts off - then he can be very effective for us. But, again, we knew there was going to be some holes in the zone and he found them. He was alert enough, he was disciplined enough to find the holes, to find the action on the break and against their zone defense so that was good for us."
On the team's defense: "We held them under 40% and we turned them over. Some of those plays were self-destruction on both teams. I liked where our defense is going to. We've had some good defense at Clemson, against Vanderbilt, against Virginia. We've shown to be resilient, disciplined, and hard-working enough to put our defense up…I just like our defensive presence."
Rutgers Forward Kadeem Jack
On playing at Madison Square Garden: "It's great. It's a great feeling. I've been playing here since high school. Every time it's a special feeling; anytime I step on the floor."
On playing in the Big Ten Conference: "I think we'll be very good and I definitely need to have good games to win in the Big Ten. I think we really got to give a lot of credit to Greg Lewis. He's a really big force down there. And Myles [Mack] today for realizing what was going on. He kind of sacrificed himself. He came to us and told us they [were] taking him away. He made good passes and good play for us to keep going forward."
Rutgers Guard Myles Mack
On last minutes of the game: "We just had to stay poised, run our sets, and make all the plays. When we make all the plays, we got easy baskets so it's just being patient and getting the shots we wanted."
