Field Level Media
Jan 17, 2018
Corey Sanders scored 18 points, Geo Baker added 17 and Rutgers snapped a two-game skid by cruising past Iowa 80-64 on Wednesday night in Piscataway, N.J.
Rutgers (12-8, 2-5 Big Ten) ranks first in the conference in scoring defense at 62.1 points per game and came up big again. The Scarlet Knights held Iowa to just under 40 percent shooting (24-of-61) from the field.
Issa Thiam finished with 16 points and Deshawn Freeman scored 14 for the Scarlet Knights, who shot 53.7 percent (29-of-54) from the floor.
Iowa guard Jordan Bohannon, who ranks first in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made, finished with 23 points. He went 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Nicholas Baer scored 11 points, while Tyler Cook had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.
The Hawkeyes (10-10, 1-6) have lost four of their past five games.
The Scarlet Knights led by 14 points at the half and boosted the edge to 47-28 on a pair of free throws by Sanders. Rutgers continued to pull away, and a free throw by Shaquille Doorson increased the margin to 52-31 with 12 minutes remaining.
The Scarlet Knights dominated the paint, and a layup by Eugene Omoruyi provided a 56-37 lead with just over seven minutes remaining.
Iowa cut the deficit to 13 on a 3-pointer by Baer with 3:55 left.
The Hawkeyes pulled within 68-58 on a dunk by Jack Nunge. However, Rutgers closed out the game on a huge dunk by Sanders and then converted 10 shots from the free throw line in the final three minutes.
The 80 points were the most Rutgers scored in a conference game in the past two years.
Bohannon scored nine consecutive points as Iowa jumped on top 13-11. Rutgers responded with a pair of 3-pointers by Thiam and Baker for a 19-13 lead.
A dunk by Baker capped a 12-0 run, and the Scarlet Knights led 23-13 with 7:50 left in the half. Rutgers remained in control, and a 3-pointer by Thiam boosted the margin to 33-19.
Baker scored 12 points, and Rutgers shot 16-of-32 en route to a 38-24 lead at the break. The Hawkeyes had nine turnovers before halftime, 16 in the game.
Rutgers won for the first time in six all-time meetings against Iowa.
--Field Level Media