On Saturday, Rutgers men’s basketball returned to action for the second time in January. The Scarlet Knights could not get back in the win column as the Hawkeyes emerged with an 86-77 win.
While Rutgers played much better in the second half, their rally fell short. For the second straight game, Clifford Omoruyi scored less than ten points and Aundre Hyatt only scored nine. However, there was one bright spot in Mawot Mag.
The Melbourne native led Rutgers in scoring with 24 points. He was also a menace on the boards with ten rebounds. After missing the start of the season due to injury, Mag showed against Iowa why Rutgers was eagerly awaiting his return.
Stay hot, Mawot! 🔥 Mag has a career-high of 20 points.
55-45, Iowa. 15:44 to play. #TheKnighthood🛡️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/qXBaWE0pNM
— Rutgers Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@RutgersMBB) January 6, 2024
As the Hawkeyes rolled to their eighth win of the season, they took advantage of Rutgers mistakes. The Hawkeyes scored 16 points off turnovers and 38 points in the paint. While Iowa had its fair share of ball control issues, it minimized its mistakes in the second half.
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Offensively, the Hawkeyes were led by the talented duo of Ben Krikke and Payton Sandfort. Krikke added 19 points to his resume and Sandfort had 24 points in 32 minutes of action.
With their 14th game of the season in the books, Rutgers will now turn their focus to their match-up with Indiana on Tuesday.