PISCATAWAY -- The Scarlet Knights men's basketball team returned from their nine-day holiday break with a convincing 91-64 win over Columbia Monday evening, their final non-conference game of the regular season. Dylan Harper recorded a historic triple-double in the victory. Harper had an outstanding all-around performance with 16 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds, notching the first triple-double for a RU player since Roy Hinson did so on March 2, 1983, against Rhode Island (24 points, 10, rebounds, 10 blocks).
Rutgers stormed out of the gates, converting on its first five possessions and taking an 18-8 lead into the first media timeout. Ace Bailey was untouchable in the first half—he had 17 points on 73 percent shooting, including numerous highlight dunks, and steered RU to a 44-35 halftime lead. Bailey finished with 24 points and eight rebounds.
Sophomore Jamichael Davis was also all over the score sheet - he had 11 points, a career-high seven assists, three rebounds, three steals, and a block in his fourth consecutive start. Captain Jeremiah Williams added nine points.
Freshman Lathan Sommerville led the bench with 11 points, five rebounds, and walk-on Peter Noble concluded the match with a deep three-pointer that brought the Jersey Mike's Arena crowd to their feet. Rutgers' bench finished with 28 points.
Rutgers assisted 26 of their 36 made shots (72 percent), won the rebounding battle 45-31, and only recorded four turnovers. They capitalized with 14 points off Columbia's 14 turnovers and scored 18 fast-break points. RU made 44 points in the paint (48 percent of their total).
RU won the turnover battle 14 to four and had 14 offensive rebounds compared to Columbia's three. The Scarlet Knights improve to 8-5 while the Lions fall to 11-2.
Rutgers' first test of the new year is on the road - resuming Big Ten play against Indiana in Bloomington at 8:30 pm on Thursday, Jan. 2.
Postgame Notes
Ace Bailey: 24 Points, 8 Rebounds
- Matched his career-high in points
Dylan Harper: 16 Points, 12 Assists, 11 Rebounds
- Had Rutgers' first triple-double since Roy Hinson - (24 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks) – March 2, 1983 vs. Rhode Island
- First freshman with a triple-double since Nov. 11, 2023 (last season) - Carlton Carrington of Pitt
- First Big Ten freshman with a triple-double since 2016 - Ohio State's Jaquan Lyle, vs. Rutgers, Jan. 13
- First triple-double by a men's player at Jersey Mike's Arena since 2015 - Ohio State's Deangelo Russell (Feb. 8)
- Had his second game this season with 10+ rebounds, just one shy of his career-high
- Had a career-high in assists
Jamichael Davis: 11 Points
- Had a season-high 11 points, just one shy of his career-high
- Had made four three-pointers in last two games after shooting 0-of-7 from three-point in first 11 games
- Career-high seven assists
Lathan Sommerville: 11 Points
- 4th game this season with double-figure scoring and first since November 15 vs. Monmouth
Rutgers Had a Season-Low 4 Turnovers, a Season-High 34 Three-Pointers Attempted and their second-most steals this season (11).
Rutgers reached 90+ points for the third time this season (also: Monmouth and Alabama), the first time having 3 90+ point games in the same season since the 2018-19 campaign
With the Win
- 26th all-time win over Columbia
- 11th straight win over Columbia and wins in 15 of the past 16 meetings
- 74-19 at Jersey Mike's Arena since 2019-20
- 7-0 at home this season and 18-5 over the past two years
Postgame Quotes
Head coach Steve Pikiell Opening Statement:
"Thank you for coming. What a great crown after the holiday weekend. Happy New Year to everyone. I have known Jim (Engles) for a long time. He is an awesome guy. He is a terrific coach. The team is going to be as good as any in the Ivy League."
Coach Pikiell on Dylan Harper's First Triple Double since Roy Hinson:
"Roy Hinson was one of the greatest guys. Not only was he a great player here, but also in the NBA. To be mentioned with him, is a special thing. I love the fact that Dylan (Harper) had seven rebounds in the first half. He passed, and he scored. I always say the guys have better days ahead which is the exciting part. But, that was a heck of an accomplishment."
Coach Pikiell on scoring 80-plus points for the sixth time this season:
"I thought we shared the ball. We had 26 assists and no turnovers. Jamichael (Davis) had seven assists and zero turnovers. But, I was most proud of our defense today. Columbia is a really good team. I think they're averaging 83 points a game. They have been very efficient scoring the ball with their veteran guards. So, our defense took a big step for us tonight. We need to can that and play this way the rest of the year. It is very important for us and our development."
Coach Pikiell on scoring 91 points :
"A win is a win. We do not worry about the rest of that. I want to play well, and I want to win. Just to win is very important, and to play well too. Our home crowd was awesome too so that helped."
Dylan Harper on adding to Roy Hinson's History:
"Obviously, It is a great accomplishment. But, I could not do it without my teammates. Guys like
Jamichael Davis,
Ace Bailey, really put me in great positions. They were open for me to find them. The most important thing is that we won today, that is what we wanted to do. We prepared great, and did all the right things."
Coach Pikiell on prepping for game:
"You are always going to be worried coming back from a holiday break, but they were focused and had a good week. We have to continue to do that. We have to play how we practice. We have been a bit inconsistent with that. We need to be good. We were good this week, but we have to be great moving forward."
Coach Pikiell on confidence for Big 10 season:
"We have been in the meat grinder, so I have been pretty confident. I think we have played the best schedule certainly since I have been here. We have been on the road, we have challenged ourselves. I think we challenged ourselves and we learned a lot but we have to continue to be consistent. Today we took a giant step in that. I thought our communication was great during the First and Second half. Rebounding-wise, we have been very inconsistent but today was a big step for us. It is an important part of what we have to do."
Ace Bailey on playing with Dylan Harper:
"It is a blessing. Not everyone gets to play with
Dylan Harper. We appreciate him just being in that position and doing whatever we need. Whether it is a rebound, a pass or a score, he always puts his teammates in a good position to be successful."
Ace Bailey on knowing if Dylan Harper got the Triple Double when his shot went in"
"Dylan (Harper) came up to me right after and he said thank you."
Coach Pikiell on giving up only three offensive rebounds:
"We have rebounded Texas A&M and they are a really big team. So, we have to continue to stress that. I think Jamichael (Davis) has given our team some good energy. He has done a great job at guarding. He has helped our toughness as well. Jeremiah (WIlliams) took on the task of guarding Geronimo (Rubio De La Rosa) who has been lighting teams up. When those guys give us energy, good things happen.
Coach Pikiell Closing Statements:
"We wanted to do a great job. I thought we were well prepared. My staff does an awesome job,
Brandin Knight,
Steve Hayn, and
Jay Young. They assisted in preparing us for games like this. Our guys were locked in. Their voices were locked in. In the huddle, they were locked in. There was good energy. We had done a good job against a team who has not lost much this year, at all. So it was a dangerous game. Thank you all for coming. We appreciate it."
Gallery: (12-30-2024) Men's Basketball Defeats Columbia
