Rutgers beats New Haven 81-54 for acting head coach Brandin Knight's 1st victory
(AP) — Rasheed Jones and Tariq Francis each scored 14 points, and Rutgers opened its season with an 81-54 victory over New Haven on Friday night to give acting head coach Brandin Knight his first victory.Jones made his first four 3-point attempts and Rutgers finished 9 of 23 (39%) from distance in Knight’s first official game in place of head coach Steve Pikiell, who is receiving cancer treatment.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rasheed Jones and Tariq Francis each netted 14 points apiece, leading Rutgers to an emphatic 81-54 triumph over New Haven on Friday night. This marked Knight's inaugural victory as the acting head coach. Jones hit his initial four long-range shots and the Scarlet Knights registered a 39% success rate from beyond the arc, culminating in a 67-37 halftime lead courtesy of Jones' fourth 3-pointer.
Francis' 3-pointer sealed a 10-0 surge in the second half, extending Rutgers' lead to a stunning 51-25, as New Haven faced a three-minute stretch without a field goal. Jamichael Davis chipped in with 13 points, while Christian Gurdak added 12. Francis, who averaged 17.0 points the previous season, tallied 578 points overall, the highest total by a Scarlet Knight since Quincy Douby in 2005-06.
Teshaun Steele and Zoumana Traore each chipped in 15 points for New Haven (1-1), which is completing its second season in Division I and the NEC, alongside its second year of transitioning from Division II. Aidan Losiewicz contributed 10 points. The Chargers commenced their season with a 74-58 defeat to Syracuse, marking Gerry McNamara's first outing as Orange head coach. Upcoming New Haven faces Army on Tuesday. Rutgers, meanwhile, hosts NJIT on the same day.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
