Rutgers Men’s Basketball Opens the Season with a Pair of Victories

from: 1.bp.theblogspot.com

The Rutgers men’s basketball team’s 2015 season is only two games old, but there is already much to be excited about.

After limping to the finish of its first season in the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights cruised to two victories in its opening weekend of the 2015 season.

They started the year by snapping its 15-game losing streak that dated back to last year with a 72-59 win against Rutgers-Newark on Nov. 13.

The Knights followed that up with an 82-70 victory against Howard son Sunday.

.

In its first game of the season R.U. came with some rust, as the Scarlet Knights  struggled on both ends of the floor and went into halftime in a 33-33 tie.

But, the start of the second half saw the Knights score 9 of the first 11 points in the half. They never relinquished the lead after that point.

Rutgers was propelled by the unlikely duo of sophomore guard Mike Williams and junior  forward DeShawn Freeman, who scored 31 of the Knights’ 72 points. Williams also contributed 11 rebounds and five steals to provide a complete effort the Knights needed in their first contest.

The Knights dominated Rutgers-Newark on the stat sheet, with notable advantages in points in the paint (48-32), rebounds (28-17), and bench points (39-2).

Even without its most promising player, freshman guard Corey Sanders, Rutgers was able to grab a win in it season opener.

Its second contest against Howard demonstrated why Rutgers may surprise many this year.

After sitting out the first game of the season as a self-imposed punishment for participating in an unsanctioned basketball event over the summer, Sanders made his debut last night against Howard.

The freshman guard was about as good as it gets in his first collegiate game, posting 15 points along with five assists in 34 minutes of play. He dished out a couple of notable alley-oops that electrified the home crowd, attacked the rim with constant effort, and hit key jump shots throughout the game.

Sanders also got help from his teammates, as Freeman had another strong game with a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds, and sophomore forward D.J. Foreman contributed 11 points and eight rebounds.

It has been a promising start for Rutgers, especially when considering the supposed lack of depth this team had entering the season.

In their first two games, the Scarlet Knights have totaled 80 bench points, and outscored their opponents reserves by a margin of 80 to 18.

Contributions from the top of the roster all the way to the bottom will provide Rutgers with even more confidence moving forward.

Even though it is still early, the Scarlet Knights are already off to a bright start to their 2015 campaign.