Rutgers University
10-15,3-11Big Ten
Maryland
10-15,3-11Big Ten
Men's Basketball Outlasts Maryland 68-57
Feb 15 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers men's basketball earned a 68–57 victory over Maryland on Sunday afternoon at Jersey Mike's Arena, delivering a performance worthy of the moment with Knights of Honor inductees John Battle, Roy Hinson and Kelvin Troy in attendance along with over 60 letter-winners and the 1976 Final Four Team.
In front of 8,000 fans, the Scarlet Knights (10-15, 3-11) used a dominant second half to pull away, outscoring Maryland 41–30 after the teams were tied 27–27 at the break.
Tariq Francis led the way with 21 points, attacking the paint and living at the free throw line. He went 10-of-10 from the stripe in the second half and finished 11-of-13 overall, helping Rutgers shoot 19-of-24 (79 percent) as a team from the line. Francis also added four assists and key rebounds in 35 minutes.
Harun Zrno provided a spark on the perimeter with 13 points, knocking down 3-of-5 from three-point range, including back-to-back triples during a pivotal second-half stretch that pushed the lead to double digits. Dylan Grant added nine points and six rebounds, while Kaden Powers chipped in six points and strong defensive minutes.
Inside, Emmanuel Ogbole anchored the paint with nine rebounds and two blocks, helping Rutgers win the rebounding battle 38–41 but limiting Maryland's efficiency. The Scarlet Knights shot 42 percent from the field (22-of-53) and 28 percent from three (5-of-18), but made up for it with aggressive defense and transition play.
Rutgers turned defense into offense all afternoon, scoring 14 fast-break points and forcing Maryland into tough looks. The Terps shot just 33 percent from the floor (22-of-66) and 23 percent from three (7-of-30).
After a tightly contested first half that featured six lead changes and five ties, Rutgers seized control midway through the second. A 10–0 run flipped momentum for good, and the Scarlet Knights led for nearly 20 minutes in the final frame, building their advantage to as many as 14 in the closing seconds.
With Battle, Hinson and Troy honored pregame and the 1976 Final Four Team honored at half, the energy in the building carried into the closing minutes. The current Scarlet Knights responded with toughness, discipline and composure — traits that defined the legends in attendance.
On a day that celebrated Rutgers basketball history, the present delivered a performance that honored it. RU heads to Happy Valley to take on Penn State on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. on BTN.
Postgame Quotes
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
Coach Pikiell's Opening Statement:
"Thanks for being here on a Sunday. I appreciate the great environment today. I'm thankful all the legends were back — we honored three of our former great players, and I thought that was awesome.
I appreciate the history here. Having them back yesterday to talk to our team — hearing their stories about the recruiting process, how they played here, who they lived with, the family and friends they met — it was just awesome. We had a ton of letterwinners back, too.
I'm proud of our guys. It was a really good week of practice — spirited practices. We got better and did a really good job preparing. Maryland had won their last two games. They beat a really good Minnesota team after Minnesota beat Michigan State, and then they beat Iowa, who was on a six-game winning streak. So this was a concerning game. They've got dangerous scorers.
I thought we did a really good job. I respect that program — they always play hard — but we made a little bit of a stand today with our defense. The week of work showed. We defended without fouling, which is a huge key for us. I'm really pleased and thankful.
The cheerleaders were awesome, the band, the dance team, the student section — it was great. I appreciate that more than you guys know."
"They average 71 or 72 points a game, so to hold them to 57 was huge. It was the first time we strung together two really good halves of defense.
They're dangerous. They've got some explosive guys — I think one of them has had 40 in a game this year and has scored a ton of points in his career. Harun got us off to a good start in the second half, but our defense was the story. We didn't let them score. We strapped it up and did a good job.
We put in some new stuff, some new coverages, and I think that helped us a little bit, too. Just having a great week of practice — we're young and it's a tough stretch — but these guys worked, and I appreciate that."
"When you're young and working your tail off and not getting rewarded, it's huge to finally break through.
We've got a stretch here where we have to stay focused. This league is about win streaks and losing streaks — it's tough. I just liked the way we focused all week.
Our defense held a team in the 50s, and that hasn't happened around here in a while. I'm very proud of them. They locked in and got rewarded for it.
Offensively, down the stretch, we made our free throws. We got to the free-throw line. During this losing streak, we haven't been getting there. That's a huge key for us because it allows us to do some different things defensively. And keeping them off the free-throw line is big for us moving forward.
We've just got to keep practicing with heart and keep getting better."
"At halftime, they were probably waiting for me to come in yelling and screaming, but I actually liked the way we were playing.
We just didn't take care of the ball — we had eight turnovers, three of them on out-of-bounds plays against their switches. That's not a great recipe for us. In the second half, we settled in and only turned it over twice, which helped us get up more shot attempts.
I told them we were playing hard enough. We were doing a really good job on some of their dangerous players. I said, 'Now we've got 40 minutes — it's time to string together 40 minutes.' And they did.
They took it personally and did a really good job. I'm pleased. Forty minutes of effort is the key for us."
"He's smart, he's crafty — he has a knack for it.
With the way Harun was shooting from distance, and everyone kind of chipping in, it made things interesting. I also thought Kaden Powers gave us some really good minutes in the second half.
I expect a lot from Tariq. I liked his defense, too. He had a tough assignment guarding one of the leading scorers in the league, and I liked the job he did on that end.
He's really unique with his ability to get fouled. He just has a knack for it."
"This place is great. I'm really pleased for our guys — they worked hard.
It's a tough league, and to have the legends back and the place packed on a Sunday means a lot. People could be doing anything else. Our marketing team does a great job, and it was fun basketball, too. Maryland has talented guys — Buzz does a great job.
To get everyone back and have so many alums here means a lot. I was here my first year when no one was here, so I always appreciate it. It's been a great transformation, and the fans keep coming.
Through the ups and downs, they show up. When they're good, we're good. It helps our guys — they love that energy."
Maryland Head Coach Buzz Williams
Coach Williams on Solomon Washington's Performance and Rebounding as a Whole:
"It allowed us to have a chance. The thing that intertwines most with what we were deficient at is rebounding. That's not exclusively the reason for the lineup change, but at this level — in a possession-based game — it's about giving yourself the best chance. I know Rutgers' pace is a little faster than ours, but it's about controlling the glass.
Solo [Solomon Washington] does a phenomenal job of that. Our offensive rebound percentage today was 40 percent. That's really, really good for our roster. Our defensive rebound percentage was 68 percent. You're fighting almost an invisible line. I've talked to these guys about this — we probably need to be closer to 75 than 70 if we're going to play a 62-to-64 possession game. We didn't do that. We failed in that regard.
It's one or two possessions here, one or two there. Similar to free throws — we can't play 40 minutes and not get to the bonus. We can't absorb that. And we certainly can't play 40 minutes where the opponent gets to the double bonus and is there significantly longer than we are. From a points-per-possession standpoint, we can't overcome that.
If you shoot 13 more shots than the opponent on the road, you've probably given yourself a chance, especially if you're rebounding offensively and keeping your turnover rate low. But if you foul them and they shoot 24 free throws — and I understand five of those came late — it's not just that we fouled too much. We also didn't get fouled enough."
"We haven't always stayed at hotels with big meeting rooms throughout my career. Our itinerary is always based on game time — not just the day of, but two days before and one day before.
In Minnesota, we had a 1 p.m. tip. So we had chapel at 6:01, rebounding clips at 6:31, and we were in the gym at 7:01. This morning, it was 5:31 wake-up, 6:01 chapel, rebounding clips, and then 6:31 here in the gym."
"We had four 'turkeys' in the first half. Turkeys are inside terminology for us. That was the highest number we've had in any half through the 27 halves we've played in Big Ten play. We were really good and really connected.
I didn't think our frontcourt pressure was great, but I did think it geared the game down to the pace we wanted. I think they had 32 possessions in the first half. Over the last six games, they've been playing at about 71 possessions per game. We can't afford to play a 71-possession game with the way our roster is built right now.
We were okay on the defensive glass in the first half. We still gave up too many offensive rebounds, but we were able to get consecutive stops multiple times.
In the second half, we had zero turkeys. Without over-accentuating it — if a team shoots 50 percent and you foul them when they don't score, you're probably never going to get a turkey. You're going to have a hard time winning when you play 40 minutes, get zero turkeys, and never get to the bonus. Then there were two mid-range shots in the final five minutes."
"We were trying to play with a little more pace because we were playing from behind. I thought we took too many shots — every player shot, every shot available.
We have language for the four types of shots. In the first half, we had six really untimely shots that weren't ingredients to our recipe. Even though it was 27-27, that's not good enough. Of the two best types of shots — what we call 'great' and 'perfect' — we didn't get enough of those.
In the second half, some of the pistol action got us into the paint and created rotation. Our rim shot percentage was 71 percent, which is good, but we got there at too low a rate. We were trying to ignite rotation — maybe to score at the rim, but more so to stop the clock and see if we could get to the bonus. Obviously, we never did, but that was the plan."
"It's part of immaturity on the path to maturity — understanding the specific path and plan we have to follow. We're probably going to be closer to 62 or 64 possessions. Today, we had 61. Within those possessions, we have to do certain things from an accountability standpoint.
Defensively, our rate of maturity has improved — how we're handling ball-screen coverage and what we're doing on the weak side. But we're not finishing enough possessions with a defensive rebound. Within our plan, we can't foul, and we have to play to get fouled.
Our guys are human. They've been through a stretch of convincing losses, and they've learned a lot in the last week. But there were too many gaps of, 'Are you sure we have to play exactly that way?' On the road, with our roster, we don't have enough possessions to overcome someone doing something on their own. We can't do that.
We'll get the same test Wednesday in Chicago. Can we follow the exact ingredients, the exact recipe? And understand that when the cake's in the oven — figuratively — on the road, you probably have to turn the temperature up a little bit. We're just not quite there yet."
"We need to make more free throws. We need to shoot a higher percentage. And transparently, we need to get fouled more.
Collin [Metcalf] attempted a career high in free throws at the Power Four level. DA [Darius Adams] is a 65 percent free-throw shooter as a freshman, and he shot 50 percent. Dre [Andre Mills] is a little higher — he shot 100 percent. Solo has the propensity to get fouled, but he has to make more than 50 percent.
Forty-six percent as a team is poor — and there's probably a more accurate adjective for it. But only shooting 13 free throws as a team, while the opponent shoots double that — that's hard math for us to overcome."
Coach Williams on the Season Darius Adams Is Having:
"He's learning the level of intensity you have to play with. He's a really good human being. I really like his family. It happened really fast — I think it was Easter Sunday when he decommitted. I flew out to meet him shortly after. It was a unique airport — almost like a driveway with a canopy — about 20 minutes from his house.
I love his dad, love his mom. I've met his sisters. It's built on all the right things.
He has the ability to get fouled, and he's realizing the physicality of this level. He wasn't able to have a normal summer. There were things out of his control that he had to handle. The pace at which he's learning — he has to play with that intensity consistently.
He's very curious. He has a fast-twitch brain. His basketball IQ is really high. He's starting to understand just how physical and how hard it is, and how monumental every possession is. I've really enjoyed getting to know him. He has a sweet spirit and a bright future.
Thank you guys for coming."
