On Wednesday night, January came to an end for Rutgers men’s basketball in a disappointing fashion. The Scarlet Knights welcomed Penn State to Jersey Mike’s Arena but collapsed in the second half during a 61-46 loss.
After the first half ended with Penn State leading 26-24, the Nittany Lions took over. Ace Baldwin Jr. led the way offensively with 15 points and seven assists. D’Marco Dunn also made an impact with 14 points. It marked the second time in January that Dunn scored more than ten points.
Jamichael Davis swatted this shot away like a fly. 🫢 pic.twitter.com/WY2elyf9gc
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 1, 2024
While Rutgers struggled offensively, they did get some encouraging performances from their freshmen. That includes Gavin Griffiths and Jamichael Davis. Griffiths led the team in scoring with 11 points and Davis added 10 of his own. They were the only Rutgers players who scored double digits.
In this matchup, Penn State dominated the boards. They scored 28 points in the paint and hauled in 40 rebounds. As a result, Penn State put the game out of reach in the second half.
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As Rutgers turns their attention to February, they will happily leave January in the rearview mirror. Over the last month, Rutgers posted a 2-6 record, losing their last three games. With only 11 games left in the regular season, they will need to turn things around quickly.