Rutgers had plenty to like in its second exhibition, but the Scarlet Knights still walked away from Madison Square Garden with a costly lesson. After building a big lead and looking in control, Rutgers faded late and fell to St. John’s, 104-99 in four overtimes.
The opening half was Rutgers at its best. The Scarlet Knights moved the ball cleanly, picked apart possessions with quick passes and repeatedly found ways to score inside the arc.
They weren’t leaning heavily on the three-point shot; instead, they kept attacking under the line and turned turnovers into points. That approach helped fuel a 16-2 run late in the first half, and at one stage Rutgers was up by 19.
The largest margin reached 20.
Tariq Francis was the driving force on offense. The point guard finished with 24 points and played with the kind of confidence and edge that stood out throughout the night.
Rutgers also showed something encouraging in terms of roster depth, a clear step up from last season. But the defensive end never held up well enough once St.
John’s started pushing back. Rutgers needed to slow the game down with its cushion, yet the Scarlet Knights kept rushing possessions and taking shots before the clock had really been worn down.
The second half flipped the script. Rutgers’ double-digit lead started slipping, and St.
John’s fed off the momentum. Brandon Knight said he liked what his team did in the first half, but the Scarlet Knights didn’t get enough stops after the break.
He also said he takes responsibility for not being more aggressive in helping the team settle down.
“I think we had some turnovers where we were careless, or they were a little bit more aggressive in the second half,” Knight said. “They got more physical than we did, and that was one of the things that I think we started punching back, and that’s why we had the four overtime.”
For Rutgers, the exhibition served its purpose in one sense: it exposed exactly where the team still has work to do. The pieces are there, the ball movement flashed, and the depth is real. But until the Scarlet Knights clean up the decision-making and finish games the right way, those good stretches won’t be enough.
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