Ron Harper Jr. and Cliff Omoruyi led six double-figure scorers with 17 points apiece and Rutgers shot 61.5 percent as a team while upsetting No. 13 Michigan State 84-63 on Saturday in Piscataway, N.J.
Paul Mulcahy had 15 points and 12 assists for his first career double-double. Dean Reiber scored a career-high 12 points in just 11 minutes and Caleb McConnell chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds for Rutgers (13-9, 7-5 Big Ten). Geo Baker added 12 points.
The Scarlet Knights had lost three of four entering Saturday but improved to 11-2 at home, notching their second home upset of a Top 25 team this season. They outrebounded Michigan State 31-20 and made 22 assists on 32-of-52 shooting.
Gabe Brown kept Michigan State (17-5, 8-3) competitive throughout the first half thanks to his long-range shooting. He finished with a game-high 20 points and made 6 of 7 3-pointers, while Marcus Bingham Jr. scored 12.
But the Spartans lost for the third time in six games and lost its solo grip on second place in the Big Ten.
The Scarlet Knights scored the first seven points of the second half, the last two via free throws after Michigan State coach Tom Izzo picked up a technical foul for arguing with officials. A few minutes later, Rutgers put its foot down with a 15-3 run to open up a 15-point advantage.
McConnell took a steal in transition and scored on a put-back layup, and Reiber knocked down a 3-pointer on the next possession to make it 58-47 with 12:50 to play. Mulcahy made a baseline layup and added a foul shot for a 61-47 advantage.
Omoruyi made three dunks during the second half, the last of which put Rutgers ahead 80-59. The lead grew to as many as 23.
The Scarlet Knights made 10 of their first 13 shots to grab control early. Baker, who was held scoreless against Northwestern in his last game, put up a quick five points. Mulcahy pulled off a no-look, behind-the-back pass to Reiber to set up a 3-pointer that put Rutgers up 21-13 at 11:28 left in the half.
Michigan State punched back, and two of Brown’s 3-pointers helped cut the margin to 27-26. Bingham tied the game at 28 with a lay-in.
Harper’s driving layup and free throw with 21 seconds left put Rutgers up five, but Brown beat the buzzer with his fourth triple of the day to cut the Scarlet Knights’ lead to 40-38 at intermission.
–Field Level Media
