PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers men’s basketball battled for 40 minutes but came up short in a hard-fought Big Ten matchup Friday night, falling 80–73 to Ohio State.
Rutgers controlled the first half with pace and confidence, building momentum behind efficient scoring and active ball movement. The Scarlet Knights entered the locker room with a four-point advantage after leading by as many as 15 points in the first half posting 41 first-half points, capitalizing on quality looks and limiting mistakes against Ohio State’s defensive looks.
The Buckeyes responded after halftime, tightening defensively and leaning on veteran guard Bruce Thornton, who delivered key baskets down the stretch. Rutgers continued to generate good looks offensively, but Ohio State’s ability to convert late possessions and get to the free-throw line shifted the momentum in the second half.
Guard Tariq Francis led the way for the Scarlet Knights with 17 points and 15 came in the first half. Forward Dylan Grant scored 14 and guard Kaden Powers chipped in with nine second half points.
Defensively, Rutgers competed but struggled to string together stops late, allowing Ohio State to close the game on a decisive run. Rebounding and free throws proved to be key factors as the Buckeyes edged the Scarlet Knights in both areas during the closing minutes.
Rutgers received valuable contributions from its younger players, including strong minutes from freshmen who showed continued growth and poise in a high-level conference environment. Freshmen Lino Mark and Chris Nwuli saw key minutes in the second half along with Powers.Â
Despite the loss, Rutgers showed stretches of high-level play on both ends and demonstrated progress as it continues to navigate Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights now turn their attention quickly to their next challenge, with Oregon up next on Monday night at 7 p.m. on Peacock.
Postgame Notes
- Rutgers’ largest lead came in the first half, leading by 15 with 3:58 to play. Ohio State answered with a 31-8 run to retake the lead.
- Tariq Francis scored 17 points. He had 17+ points for the sixth time this season
- Over the last three games he has scored 23.3 points per game
- Bryce Dortch had a career-high in steals (3).
- Lino Mark matched his career-high in assists (3).
- Ohio State has won four straight games in the series.
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Postgame Quotes
Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell
Opening Statement:
“It was a Big Ten battle, obviously. Tip of the cap to Ohio State. I liked how we played tonight, even though we came up a little short. I actually thought we did a good job on Bruce Thornton — and 20 points and 10 rebounds later, he’s truly one of the most underrated players in the country. He could be in the Player of the Year conversation. I don’t know why his name isn’t mentioned more, because he’s a problem — and I’m glad he’s graduating.
Our fans were great, our guys played hard, and I enjoy coaching this team. We’ll be fine. We keep getting better. We have a quick turnaround with Oregon coming up — they’re coming off a win at Maryland — so we have to get back to work. We did some good things tonight, but this is a 40-minute league, and you have to play great for all 40.”
On Defense Down the Stretch:
“In both halves defensively, we didn’t get any kills — that’s three stops in a row — in the second half. Thornton was a problem late. I thought we had him under wraps early, but they made big shots at the end. I thought the shots were highly contested, and we scored enough points to win, but our defense didn’t carry the job.
We’re getting better rebounding-wise, but they out-rebounded us by a couple, and we needed to win that battle. They’re also an elite free-throw shooting team. We wanted to cut that number down, but they got to their average because they make free throws. We had a few defensive goals we didn’t quite meet, and that’s why the final score was the final score.”
On Lino Mark’s Performance:
“We’re throwing our freshmen into some tough situations. Kaden Powers didn’t play in the first half, but he was ready and came in and gave us great minutes. Lino Mark did a good job getting into the middle of the zone.
They’re improving — watching more film and practicing better. They’ve been battle-tested, and now we need them to become more consistent. Lino took a step tonight, and he’s been showing signs of that. He has elite speed. Our freshmen gave us good minutes, and we need them to keep improving.”
On Ohio State’s Zone Defense:
“We missed some really open looks, and they changed things up a bit. They play zone, and we’ve now seen two teams in a row that play a lot of zone. I thought we generated good looks, but we rushed some possessions and didn’t finish.
More than anything, we didn’t turn the ball over tonight against either the zone or man-to-man. It’s a game of runs — if we go on a run, they go on a run. I told our guys that if we’re not scoring, that’s okay as long as they’re not scoring either. Down the stretch, they scored a couple baskets, and that hurt us. The last four minutes of the first half were important. We went into halftime with the lead and 41 points on the board, but we had to defend coming out of the second half, and that’s where it hurt us. They got to the line, and Thornton had no problem.”
On the 15-Point Halftime Lead Evaporating:
“We made every shot we took during that stretch, but they’re a really good basketball team with a lot of veteran and older guys. It’s always a game of runs. No lead is safe unless your defense is at a really high level, and ours wasn’t at that level tonight. We needed it to be.”
Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler
On the Game:
“We weren’t executing early on. It was frustrating with our rebounding. We knew we needed to rebound in this game. They came out at home and hit some shots. We didn’t waver in our plan of attack. Making the switch to zone was impactful. Our poise offensively was good and then getting stops and rebounds was key. Our team is always going to fight to the very end. Our response in the second half was huge.”
On Playing at Rutgers:
“Big Ten basketball on the road is always tricky. The place was packed. You have to play with great poise and overcome that adversity. This is one of the toughest places in the league to play. Rutgers may have struggled a bit this year, but Steve Pikiell – the culture he’s built is strong. When they are making shots, they’re a different team. It’s hard to win on the road in the Big Ten.”
