EVANSTON, Ill. – Five-star Ace Bailey continues to have a historic freshman campaign for the Scarlet Knights - the 6-foot-10 guard stepped up when RU needed him most on Wednesday night in Chicago.

Rutgers picked up its second road win of the season behind a career night from the Chattanooga, Tenn. native at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena. Bailey scored 37 points and shot a stellar 13-for-20 from the field, leading RU to a 79-72 victory. Bailey had 24 points through the first 20 minutes on 90 percent shooting marking one of the best scoring halves in Scarlet Knights history.

Grad student Tyson Acuff came off the bench and chipped in 13 points while sophomore Jamichael Davis orchestrated the passing game with eight assists. Rutgers shot 57 percent from the floor and led for 29 minutes throughout the contest. 

The shorthanded Scarlet Knights were missing star freshman Dylan Harper who was listed out before the game.

After trailing 13-4 early on, Bailey scored 12 straight points on five consecutive baskets to bring RU back into the game. Rutgers took a 43-35 lead into the break. 

The Scarlet Knights held Northwestern without a field goal for six minutes in the second half, extending the lead to 13 with 11 minutes to play. After sinking four in a row and creating more defensive stops, Rutgers carried a 15-point advantage with 6:30 remaining. 

The Scarlet Knights improve to 11-10 (3-4 in conference play) while earning their eighth win in their past 10 matchups against the Wildcats (12-9, 3-7).

Rutgers returns to Jersey Mike's Arena for a two-game homestand starting with the Michigan Wolverines (15-5, 7-2) on Saturday - tipping off at 3:30 p.m on FOX.
 

Postgame Notes

As a Team

• Rutgers shot 57.1 percent from the field (28-of-49)
  • Fifth best performance in a Big Ten game and best since 2023
  • Second best this season (59.6 vs. Monmouth)
• Rutgers shot 57.1 percent from three-point distance (8-of-14)
  • Fifth best performance in a Big Ten game and best since 2022
  • Best mark this season from three-point distance

 
Ace Bailey: 37 points on 13-of-20 shooting, 5-of-8 from 3-point, 6-of-6 from the free throw line, six rebounds and three blocks.

• Third most points in a Big Ten game and third most points by a RU freshman
  • Only surpassed by Bailey earlier this season with 39 vs. Indiana and Corey Sanders in 2016 in 3OT
  • Was the second most points by a RU player in a regulation Big Ten game (no overtime)
  • Was the most points by a RU freshman in a win
• Third game this season with 30+ points (all against Big Ten teams in January)
• 10^th game of 20+ points
• Has scored 194 points in 8 January Big Ten games, averaging 24.3 points per game in that stretch
  • Also averages 9.2 rebounds per game in that 8-game stretch
• In 10 Big Ten games overall, has averaged 22.1 points per game, best in the league
• This season, he has scored 394 points in 19 games, averaging 20.73 per game, best in the Big Ten and of any freshman nationally.
  • Bailey moved up to 10^th in the country in points per game
• With 394 points, Bailey moved past Geo Baker's 17-18 season for sixth most points by a RU true freshmen. He's just one point behind Hollis Copeland's 74-75 season for fifth, and within 36 points of third place (Corey Sanders, 15-16: 430, with Quincy Douby, 03-04: 412 in fourth).
• Bailey has two of the three games of 35+ points for a RU player in Big Ten play. The only other one came in a triple overtime game (Corey Sanders vs. Illinois in 2016).
  • All 3 of those games came from freshmen
• Bailey's 13 field goals were the 5^th time a RU player had 13+ field goals in a Big Ten game (Bailey three times and Corey Sanders twice – vs. Illinois in 3OT in 2016 and vs. Purdue in 2018)
• Bailey has the two highest scoring games in Big Ten play this season.
• Bailey's 13 field goals were his third time making 13 shots in a Big Ten game this season. Only three other times this season has a Big Ten player made 13 shots in a game (three individual players)
• Bailey had 37 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. That statline
  • Has only been reached nationally three times this season. Two of the three were by Bailey (Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner vs. UT-RGV in November)
  • Has only been done by a freshman 9 times since 2007. (Bailey, twice; Kevin Durant, twice; Michael Beasley, twice; Ben Simmons, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Edwards). Every other player on that list was either the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft.
  • Only one other freshman did so with a perfect 100% free throw percentage (Anthony Edwards vs. Michigan State on Nov. 26, 2019).
• Became the first Division I freshman to log multiple 35-point games on the road since Trae Young in 2017-18
• In his last six games, Bailey has made 26-of-29 free throws (89.6%)
• In his last four games, Bailey has made 15-of-25 three-pointers (60%)
• Most points of any visiting player at Welsh-Ryan Arena in the past 29 seasons
  • Third most field goals by a visiting player at Welsh-Ryan Arena in the past 29 seasons, only Juwan Howard and Glenn Robinson had more (14 apiece)

Tyson Acuff: 13 points

• 3^rd game scoring in double figures this season
• All have been past 7 games (17 vs. Wisconsin and 10 vs. Purdue)
  • Averages 8.0 points per game in that stretch. Entered that stretch at 3.3 points per game in first 14 contests.

Jamichael Davis: 8 Assists

• Career-high in assists

In the first half:

• Rutgers shot 66.7% from the field (16-of-24), its best field goal percentage in a half this season
• The 43 points were the 3^rd most in a half versus a Big Ten team this season
• Ace Bailey scored 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting
  • The 9 field goals made were the most for a RU player in a half this year
  • It marked his most points in a half this season and the 2^nd most in a half of any RU player this season (Dylan Harper, 25 points in second half against Alabama)

Lineup Notes

• Rutgers used its 10^th different starting lineup of the season (Derkack, Williams, Bailey, Grant, Sommerville)

With the Win:
- Eight wins in the past 10 games against Northwestern
- Second true road win of the season
- Dealt Northwestern their fourth loss of 29 home games in past two seasons