Rutgers hosted Ohio State on Friday night.
The best performance Rutgers put together this season was not enough to earn its first high-major win of the winter.
The Scarlet Knights let a strong start slip away with a poor finish against Ohio State, blowing a 15-point lead to the Buckeyes in an eventual 80-73 loss in their return to Big Ten play on Friday.
Rutgers (7-6, 0-3) played harder and more physical than any other game this season, particularly in attacking the boards offensively (18 offensive rebounds on 37 missed field goal attempts, leading to 18 second-chance points). But it gave up 13 offensive rebounds on 25 misses to the Buckeyes (10-3, 2-1), who outscored Rutgers 40-30 in the paint, and was edged by six points on the free throw line.
The Scarlet Knights were led by junior guard Tariq Francis (17 points on 6-of-16 shooting), sophomore forward Dylan Grant (14 points on 5-of-12 shooting) and freshman guard Kaden Powers (9 points on 3-of-6 shooting). But they struggled to stop Ohio State stars Bruce Thornton (20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds), Devin Royal (16 points on 5-of-13 shooting) and John Mobley Jr. (12 points on 4-of-9 shooting).
After trading blows in the opening seven minutes, Rutgers took control with one of its best stretches of play of the season. Over a span of 10 minutes, the hosts outscored Ohio State 29-12 to take a game-high 15-point lead with 3:47 remaining in the first half.
The Scarlet Knights hit 11 shots in the span of 17 attempts, rebounding four of those missed attempts, and forced six Ohio State turnovers during that run. Francis led the way offensively, hitting three shots in the span of 90 seconds, including a heat-check three-pointer that capped off the run and earned the loudest pop from the home crowd this winter.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE RUTGERS RANT ON YOUTUBE: Watch our weekly podcast, live postgame reactions and more
Then, as quickly as Rutgers took control, it lost it.
The Scarlet Knights were outscored 13-2 in the final 3:47 of the half, missing six of their final seven field goal attempts as Ohio State went into a zone defense that befuddled the hosts. On the other end, the Buckeyes scored on their final six possessions of the half, including three consecutive made field goals.
The Buckeyes completed the comeback within the first four minutes of the second half, taking an 8-point lead with 13:53 to play. The visitors outscored Rutgers 31-8 in the span of 10 minutes, knocking down 10 shots in the span of 14 attempts while the Scarlet Knights missed 15 of their 18 attempts in the same period.
Rutgers punched back with a 14-5 run led by Powers, retaking the lead for the first time in nearly 10 minutes. The teams traded the lead five times in the ensuing two minutes before Ohio State began to pull away, outscoring Rutgers 14-6 in the final seven minutes.
Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Category: General Sports
