PISCATAWAY, N.J.—For the second straight game Rutgers forward Dane Miller struggled offensively. Fortunately for the Scarlet Knights it didn’t equate to the second straight loss.
In what looked like it could be an easy victory for Rutgers going in, the 66–54 win came from a back-and-forth contest with NJIT until late in the game.
With 7:20 remaining, the Scarlet Knights (4–2) only led the Highlanders (1–4) by four, 49–45.
Rutgers would then go on an 8–0 run over the next three minutes giving them a 57–45 lead with 4:59 remaining. The 12-point deficit would be too much to overcome for the Highlanders—especially with Rutgers stepping up its defense over the last seven minutes.
Despite his problems on offense, it was Miller (three points, four rebounds, and one assist) that led the defensive intensity during that stretch.
“From a forward who seems to be struggling offensively, who literally picked our energy up and single-handedly probably helped us win a game, that’s Dane Miller’s defense the last seven minutes,” head coach Mike Rice said.
With Miller unable to get anything going—his first bucket from the field came with just under 12 minutes to play—the Scarlet Knights relied on Gilvydas Biruta.
In what looked like it could be an easy victory for Rutgers going in, the 66–54 win came from a back-and-forth contest with NJIT until late in the game.
With 7:20 remaining, the Scarlet Knights (4–2) only led the Highlanders (1–4) by four, 49–45.
Rutgers would then go on an 8–0 run over the next three minutes giving them a 57–45 lead with 4:59 remaining. The 12-point deficit would be too much to overcome for the Highlanders—especially with Rutgers stepping up its defense over the last seven minutes.
Despite his problems on offense, it was Miller (three points, four rebounds, and one assist) that led the defensive intensity during that stretch.
“From a forward who seems to be struggling offensively, who literally picked our energy up and single-handedly probably helped us win a game, that’s Dane Miller’s defense the last seven minutes,” head coach Mike Rice said.
With Miller unable to get anything going—his first bucket from the field came with just under 12 minutes to play—the Scarlet Knights relied on Gilvydas Biruta.
