Rutgers Routes UMass-Lowell In Final Tune-Up Before Big Ten Schedule Begins

Corey Sanders (Rutgers Athletics)

At one point in the first half, it seemed that the Rutgers men’s basketball team was headed for another close game with an inferior opponent.

The Scarlet Knights were down 20-15 with 11 minutes left in the first half to University of Massachusetts-Lowell, and were shooting 38 percent from the field.

But then the Knights came alive. Rutgers went on a 28-12 run to finish out the first half, and held an 11-point lead.

The River-Hawks fought back in the beginning of the second half, and cut the score to 51-46 with 13:25 left. With UMass-Lowell threatening a comeback, the backcourt tandem of senior Omari Grier and freshman Corey Sanders put the game away for Rutgers in convincing fashion. Grier and Sanders combined for 27 of the Knights’ final 38 points, making plays on both end of the court.

In the end, Rutgers had one of their most lopsided wins of the season, defeating UMass-Lowell 89-66.

Grier finished with 22 points on the game, shooting a scorching 73 percent from the field while knocking down six threes. Sanders displayed his athleticism all night long, driving into the lane and dealing damage with dunks and key assists. He finished with 20 points and four assists on the night. It was his second straight 20-point game.

The win brings Rutgers record to 6-7 on the season, and heads into conference play with its most momentum since its 3-1 start.

Other Knights stepped up and got in on the scoring as well. Freshman forward Jonathan Laurent posted 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Sophomore guard Mike Williams scored 10 points while chipping in three assists. Both Knights scored in double-figures for the second straight game.

The 89 points scored by Rutgers is its most this season. They Knights will need all the scoring they can get now, as Big Ten conference play begins on Wednesday.