PISCATAWAY, N.J.—So much for a letdown game.
After defeating Miami on Sunday for their first win against a non-conference “Big Six” school in nearly four years, Rutgers had anything but a hangover game in the 83–59 trouncing of Norfolk State Tuesday night.
The Scarlet Knights (3–1) doubled up the Spartans (1–3) in the first half on Mike Coburn’s three at the buzzer to make it 44–22 in their second game of the Philly Hoop Group Classic.
“Never any game,” Coburn (12 points, 7 assists) said of potentially overlooking Norfolk State. “We’re always looking at each next play. That’s the only thing we’re looking at.
“Toward the next pass, that’s it. Never the next game. We’re always looking at each play, each second, and trying to improve on every play.”
While they didn’t look past the second half, it was down from a dominating first half where Rutgers shot 56.3 percent from the field. More impressively, the Knights had an 85.7 percent clip from beyond the arc on 6-of-7 shooting.
The 3-point success was led by senior point guard James Beatty. Beatty was a perfect 3-of-3 in the first half and finished 5-of-6 from three-point land in his 18-point outing.
After defeating Miami on Sunday for their first win against a non-conference “Big Six” school in nearly four years, Rutgers had anything but a hangover game in the 83–59 trouncing of Norfolk State Tuesday night.
The Scarlet Knights (3–1) doubled up the Spartans (1–3) in the first half on Mike Coburn’s three at the buzzer to make it 44–22 in their second game of the Philly Hoop Group Classic.
“Never any game,” Coburn (12 points, 7 assists) said of potentially overlooking Norfolk State. “We’re always looking at each next play. That’s the only thing we’re looking at.
“Toward the next pass, that’s it. Never the next game. We’re always looking at each play, each second, and trying to improve on every play.”
While they didn’t look past the second half, it was down from a dominating first half where Rutgers shot 56.3 percent from the field. More impressively, the Knights had an 85.7 percent clip from beyond the arc on 6-of-7 shooting.
The 3-point success was led by senior point guard James Beatty. Beatty was a perfect 3-of-3 in the first half and finished 5-of-6 from three-point land in his 18-point outing.
“My confidence is at an all-time high right now,” Beatty said. “That’s the way I’m used to playing, with my confidence being high. Not being afraid to take that shot.
“Last year every time I caught the ball, I was hesitant, but this year coach Rice has given me the green light that if I’m open I need to take that shot.”
In their highest scoring output of the season, head coach Mike Rice’s philosophy of intense, in your face defense was still prominent. It limited Norfolk to shoot 36.8 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc.
The Spartans improved to 50 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from three-point land in the second half. Offensively, the Knights second half numbers dipped to 44.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point land.
But a lot of Norfolk’s inflated numbers and Rutgers’s deflated numbers come with good reason. Rutgers had its first chance all season to give inexperienced freshmen extended minutes once the lead ballooned to 68–34 with 7:24 left.
Riding a three-game winning streak, Rutgers will travel to St. Joe’s for the final game of the Philly Hoop Group Classic on Friday night.
Rice is a former assistant of St. Joe’s under head coach Phil Martelli. His son Jimmy Martelli is an assistant coach on Rice’s staff.
“I’m so excited to play in the Palestra and I have such respect for St. Joe’s,” Rice said. “But in the end if I lose, I’m going to be really disappointed and if I win I’m going to be kind of disappointed, to be honest with you, because [Phil Martelli’s] so close with me and a lot of people at that program are so close to me.”
Follow Matt on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MattSugam and tune in every Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST on WRSU-FM as he co-hosts Scarlet Football Fever discussing Rutgers football as well as the N.Y. Jets and Giants.
