Field Level Media
Nov 29, 2020
Jacob Young scored 17 points to lead a balanced attack Sunday afternoon as No. 24 Rutgers never trailed in a methodical 70-56 win over visiting Hofstra in Piscataway, N.J.
Montez Mathis (14 points) and Ron Harper Jr. (15 points) also reached double figures for Rutgers (3-0), which has beaten a trio of local opponents by a combined 58 points since Wednesday. Harper added nine rebounds.
All nine players scored for the Scarlet Knights, who were ranked in the preseason for the first time since 1978-79.
Paul Mulcahy flirted with a unique double-double by finishing with nine rebounds and seven assists. Myles Johnson had five blocks and nine rebounds.
Jalen Ray scored 22 points for Hofstra, which played its season opener. Isaac Kante pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds and Kvonn Cramer scored eight points in his collegiate debut for the Pride, which won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament last season and is favored to win the league again this year.
Ray's 3-pointer tied the score at 10-10 five minutes into the game before Rutgers took control with a 17-5 run in which it went 7-of-11 from the field while six players hit a field goal. Hofstra made just four of its final 25 shots in the first half and went scoreless from the field for a span of 7:44 before Ray's layup off a steal snapped the drought with 1:52 left.
Rutgers missed nine of its final 10 shots in the first half before expanding its lead to 45-23 with a 13-2 run to open the second half. Five different Scarlet Knights scored in the run, which ended with a layup by Cliff Omoruyi, who was the only player with multiple baskets.
Hofstra followed with a 13-5 run and pulled within 10 points on Cramer's 3-pointer with 9:39 left. Rutgers responded with a 9-4 run. The Pride got within 10 points one more time on Ray's 3-pointer with 1:29 remaining.
--Field Level Media