PISCATAWAY -- It's Pandemonium in Piscataway.

It has been 1,100 days since a Scarlet Knight last hit a buzzer-beater - when Ron Harper Jr. hit the game-winner over No. 1 Purdue. On Saturday, his brother Dylan Harper hit a buzzer-beater to defeat Seton Hall 66-63 in the Garden State Hardwood Classic, keeping the New Jersey-shaped trophy in place for another year.
 
The oldest NJ rivalry lived up to the hype. A slow start for both teams ended with four ties, 10 lead-changes, and the biggest shot of the five-star freshman's young career.
 
Fellow five-star Ace Bailey got things going in the first half with 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting, but careless Scarlet Knight turnovers (11) led to a 33-27 halftime advantage for the Pirates. Seton Hall scored 11 points off Rutgers' giveaways.
 
Harper directed the second-half comeback - He had 18 of his 24 points out of the break, half of which came from beyond the arc. He and Bailey combined for 45 of Rutgers' 66 points (68 percent).
 
Sophomore guard Jordan Derkack was also a big factor, contributing nine points and five rebounds in 20 minutes, including key free-throws down the stretch. Both senior captain Jeremiah Williams and Bailey added seven rebounds.
 
Freshman Lathan Sommerville had a quiet afternoon with three points and three rebounds, but corralled in the most important rebound of the day and knocked down two massive free-throws with 90 seconds remaining.
 
While Derkack and Sommerville were successful from the charity stripe, the team as a whole struggled, shooting just 13-for-28. 
 
With 6.4 seconds remaining and the game tied, Harper dribbled up the court and launched a three from 28 feet out, hitting nothing but net and erupting Jersey Mike's Arena. He earned the Joe Calabrese MVP plaque and countless embraces from his teammates. 
 
Head coach Steve Pikiell credited the 10-point second-half comeback to remaining calm and staying confident in the team's ability to close out the game.

The Scarlet Knights (7-4) will have seven days of rest before facing off against Princeton (8-4) in the Never Forget Tribute Classic, a noon tipoff at the Prudential Center next Saturday.



Postgame Notes

Game MVP: Dylan Harper

• Dylan Harper had 24 points, including the game-winning buzzer-beater.
• Ace Bailey had 21 points and seven rebounds
• It was RU's first game-winning buzzer-beater since Ron Harper Jr. had the buzzer-beater to defeat No. 1 Purdue in 2021.
• Jeremiah Williams had his most rebounds (7) as a Scarlet Knight
• It marked the second time this season that Harper and Bailey each posted 20+ points (also done vs. Alabama)
• RU held Seton Hall to just one field goal in the final 3:31 and to four three field goals in the final 7:30 of the contest.
• Over the last 30 meetings, 23 have been decided by six points or fewer and five contests have gone to overtime.
• Rutgers earned its 33rd win all-time against Seton Hall, is 4-3 in the last seven meetings, and earned their first win over the Pirates at Jersey Mike's Arena since 2019 and consecutive victories in the series

Postgame Quotes
 
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell: 

Opening Statement: "Thank you all for coming and taking the time. It is always a great game and Seton Hall is tough as nails. Shaheen (Holloway) is one of the best coaches in the country. He does a fantastic job. Our crowd was often. We did not play our best game. We missed 15 free throws and had 15 turnovers. We still figured out a way to win so I am proud of our guys. We have to get better but I give Seton Hall a lot of credit. We turned the ball over a lot which is something that we don't do. We have been a very good foul shooting team. Our rivalry games always come down to this. Ace (Bailey) was great in the first half, Jordan (Derkack) took care of things throughout the game, and Dylan (Harper) had a big shot down the stretch. A lot of good things but we have to continue getting better. I want to shout out Dickie (Vitale) who's cancer free now. He is a Seton Hall guy but he is also a Rutgers guy, He is an awesome guy."
 
Thoughts on final play unfolding:

"Staying cool and calm. We just had to figure out a way to win. Dylan (Harper) seemed to have it down. I am happy we ground out in the Second half to put us in a position to win. We missed free throws down the stretch but we wanted to keep the fans there throughout the whole game." 

Thoughts on Dylan Harper's shot:

Jordan Derkack:

"I passed the ball into him. I wanted him to start catching the run but he just wanted to catch it and start going so I told him to hurry up, and he told me to relax and that he would do what he had to do."

Dylan Harper:

"I don't know what was going through my head. I was just trying to win. The main thing on my mind was the Exhibition Game (St. John's). I turned the ball over for that game and definitely did not want to do that again. I wanted to get the win and that is what we did. My thought process was to get the best shot possible. It was the only spot on the court open. So, I got there and shot the ball. I worked on this a lot; constant reps in practice. So, I was very confident in this shot."
 
Dylan on being from New Jersey and playing here:

"It means a lot from watching my brother play his tough rivalry games. He always played his heart out. I just wanted to come out here and play. Coach Pikiell told us all this would be a serious game. We have to come out here and play Rutgers Basketball because this is real rivalry. We could have played better but the important thing is that we won."
 
Coach Pikiell on Jordan Derkack: 

"Jordan does a lot for us. He draws fouls, is a great passer and gets to the rim. He has been so consistent in guarding guys down the stretch. Our bench is more important than anything. I think Jamichael (Davis) helped us a bunch too with his pressure defense. Lathan has been getting better on the defensive end, and then we had Jeremiah (Williams) for 7 rebounds."
 
Dylan Harper on comparing his and Ron Harper's buzzer-beater:
 
"I think my brother's shot was one of the best in college basketball. He beat the Number One team in the country. 30 points, 10 rebounds, half-court shot, so all credit to him. I think his shot was better, but mine was more meaningful in regards to the game and the type of environment we were in."
 
Coach Pikiell's final statement:
 
"We are growing. This team has been tough and resilient. We have done a good job but must figure out how to continue doing so. The other team is good too, and they are trying to win. The way they rebound and the way they steal the ball; they had a bunch of steals. They play at a different kind of pace. Our team has to and will continue to learn from all the team's different styles."
 
Seton Hall Head Coach Shaheen Holloway:

Opening Statement:
"I thought we played hard for about 33 minutes, and then Seven minutes after we lost our mind. I thought it was a good game but there's a lot I want to talk about but can't. I have never been a part of a game where one team shoots 13 free throws and another one shoots 28."
 
On Dylan Harper's Buzzer Beater: 
"I mean what are you gonna do? That was a tough shot but we should have never been in that position."
 
On defending Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper:
"I thought we did a good job in the first half. I thought Ace (Bailey) played extremely well in the first half, he carried them. For the second half, they got away from ball springs and Dylan (Harper) going one-on-one was different. There wasn't anything we could have done or they could have done. It just came down to nothing working against them. We didn't execute down the stretch as we should have."