SEATTLE, Washington – The Rutgers men's basketball team ended their first conference west coast road trip off on a good note with a victory over Washington in an overtime thriller.

The Scarlet Knights (13-14, 6-10) defeated the Washington Huskies (13-14, 4-11) with a star performance from guard Dylan Harper. Harper had his third 30-point-plus performance of the season and scored 34 points, on 9-of-18 from the field and 12-of-14 from the free three line. Harper had five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in one of his best performances as a Scarlet Knight.

With RU trailing by one and under 12 seconds on the clock, Jeremiah Williams stole the ball off Washington's inbound pass and drew a foul to help RU push the game to overtime.

The Scarlet Knights took full advantage of that in the extra session, posting an 89-85 victory to snap a three-game skid. Williams finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

Freshman guard Ace Bailey got back on track with an 18-point performance and shot 6-of-13 from the field. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native hit a free throw at the end of overtime to seal the victory. Freshman center Lathan Sommerville chipped in with eight points in quality minutes against former AP All-American Great Osobor of the Huskies.

The Scarlet Knights are back in action against the USC Trojans on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Jersey Mike's Arena.
 
Postgame Notes

• Dylan Harper (34 points) had his 3^rd 30-point game this season. Ace Bailey also has 3 30-point games this season, giving RU six overall. 
  • Only three other players in the Big Ten have at least three 30-point games (Wisconsin's John Tonje - 4, Ohio State's Bruce Thorton - 3, Minnesota's Dawson Garcia - 3)
  • It was the fifth time this season that an RU player had at least 34 points (Harper - 2, Bailey - 3). There have only been 3 other 34+ performances by Big Ten players this year (Tonje - 41, Michigan's Vladislav Goldin - 36, Purdue's Braden Smith - 34)
• Harper made 12 free throws, his new career-high. It was tied for the most Free Throws ever made by a RU player in a Big Ten game (previously done by both Ron Harper Jr. and Caleb McConnell in 2020).
  • Harper's 14 free throws attempted were also the most ever by a RU player in a Big Ten game. 
• Harper's statline (34 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block) has only been reached by a freshman seven other times since 2005, most recently in 2017. Three of the other seven games were done by players ultimately drafted No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft (Markelle Fultz twice, Ben Simmons)
• Rutgers' 26 free throws made as a team were tied for the 4^th most ever by RU in a Big Ten game.3 of the top 5 most Free Throws made in a Big Ten game have come this season. 
• Rutgers' 37 free throw attempts were the program's most ever in a Big Ten game. 

Harper moved past Corey Sanders' to move into 4th all-time among RU true freshman point-scorers. Bailey and Harper occupy the 3 and 4 spots. Bailey is just 41 points away from 2nd and 57 away from first. Harper is 46 points away from 2nd and 62 away from first. 

Rutgers True Freshmen Season Scoring Leaders: Total Points

1. Mike Rosario (08-09): 517
2. Phil Sellers (72-73): 506
3. Ace Bailey (24-25): 465
4. Dylan Harper (24-25): 460
5. Corey Sanders (15-16): 430