Rutgers snapped its longest losing streak in eight years with a victory that is meaningful in multiple ways.
Behind a big showing from freshman guard Harun Zrno and a strong finish from junior guard Tariq Francis, the Scarlet Knights beat fellow Big Ten basement dweller Maryland, 68-57, in an ugly game in Piscataway on Sunday.
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The win ends a seven-game losing streak for Rutgers (10-15, 3-11), preventing the program from falling into its longest skid of head coach Steve Pikiell’s decade-long tenure. It also keeps the Scarlet Knights in position to compete for a top-14 finish in the Big Ten standings, which would earn them a first-round bye in next month’s Big Ten Tournament.
Rutgers is now tied with Maryland (10-15, 3-11) for 14th place, sitting one game behind 13th-place Minnesota, a half-game ahead of Oregon and one full game ahead of Northwestern and Penn State, which it will face on Wednesday.
Rutgers overcame a poor shooting performance offensively (41.5% from the floor, including 27.8% on threes) and disastrous defending inside (Maryland had 26 points in the paint and 13 second-chance points off of 18 offensive rebounds) to come out on top.
The Scarlet Knights snagged the victory with a big start to the second half, outscoring the Terrapins 19-7 in the first eight minutes after halftime and holding the lead from there. They were led by Zrno, who scored 11 of his 13 points in that stretch to give his team some breathing room, and Francis, who scored 11 of his 21 points in the final five minutes to keep the Terrapins at bay.
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The winning second half came after an ugly opening 20 minutes in which Rutgers shot 34.5% (10-of-29), including 1-of-9 on threes and 2-of-5 at the rim. The Scarlet Knights committed nearly as many turnovers (8) as they had made shots and had nearly as many shots at the rim blocked (1) than made.
On the other end, the Scarlet Knights gave up seven offensive rebounds on 23 missed field goals (30.4%) and allowed Maryland to go 8-of-14 at the rim, leading to 18 points in the paint.
In the end, Rutgers was able to overcome its poor start to get a win it needed desperately to prevent a rough season from spiraling further. The Scarlet Knights look to earn a second straight Big Ten win for the first time this season on Wednesday, when they face the Nittany Lions in State College.
