Rutgers Basketball Overcomes Slow Start to Beat Northwestern 77-75 in OT

Rutgers basketball took down Northwestern 77-75 in overtime to secure its second Big Ten win of the season. The Knights were able to overcome a rough start to take the lead several times in the second half and ultimately win the game in extra minutes. Both of Rutgers’ Big Ten wins this season have come in overtime games at home.

Northwestern would secure the offensive initiative to start the game, as they would lead Rutgers 13-7 after six minutes of play. Northwestern would continue to pull away over the next four minutes, largely due to Wildcats Jake West and Nick Martinelli finding their rhythm from beyond the arc early in the game. Northwestern would hold a 23-11 lead with ten minutes left to play in the first half. Chris Nwuli would hit his second three-pointer of the season as the Knights would cut the Wildcat lead to 6 over the next five minutes. Rutgers would continue to push their momentum over the last five minutes of the half, cutting Northwestern’s lead to two before both teams headed to the lockerroom.

The Knights would keep their momentum coming out of the locker room, as a bucket by Ogbole would give Rutgers their first lead of the day. The lead would teeter back and forth before Tariq Francis would drain a three-pointer to put Rutgers up two. Northwestern would respond with a run of their own, going up 52-47 with 10 minutes left to play in the game. The Knights would stay one step behind Northwestern as they would trail by four with five minutes left. Francis and Dylan Grant would draw fouls late to put Rutgers down by three with less than three minutes left to go in the game. Francis would score again to draw Rutgers within one, with the Knights needing one more stop to take the lead. After drawing a foul from West, Francis would give Rutgers the one-point lead. Martinelli would respond for Northwestern, putting them back up one before Darren Buchanan Jr. would send it to overtime off of a made free throw to make the game 67-all.

Francis would continue to power the Knights in overtime, as it has a two-point shot by him that put Rutgers up by two with three minutes left in overtime. Despite Northwestern drawing close several times, the Knights would hold on to secure the victory.

Francis had another stellar game for the Knights, as he recorded his third 30-point game this season and his second in one week. Buchanan had a good game as well, hitting several crucial free throws. He also earned a double-double for the game as he netted 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Rutgers performed well in this game in several areas where it has struggled throughout the season. The Knights grabbed more rebounds and outscored their opponent in the paint en route to the victory. They also shot well overall, hitting 41 percent of their field goals and 32 percent of their threes.

However, despite the win, Rutgers had no answer for Martinelli, who totaled 34 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort. 34 points is his new career high.

Rutgers men’s basketball will be back in action on Saturday, January 17th, as they are set to travel to Madison to take on Wisconsin. That game is slated for a 2 pm kickoff and will be available for viewing on BTN.