On January 9th, 2025 in Piscataway, NJ Rutgers took a great loss to Purdue, the score being (68-50). The Scarlet Knights struggled to take care of the ball, recording nine turnovers in the first nine minutes of the game and finishing it with 16 overall.
Freshman guard Ace Bailey led Rutgers through the first 20 minutes with eight points and four rebounds while Purdue entered the break with a 33-24 lead. Bailey finished with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Freshman Lathan Sommerville, making his first career start, gave Rutgers some momentum to open the half, as he came up with an interception of a Boilermaker feed down low. Rutgers, though, was unable to capitalize on the other end.
After falling behind by as much as 16 points, Rutgers managed to hit seven of their last nine attempts, narrowing the gap to five points with 10:50 left in the game. Nevertheless, Purdue countered with a decisive 9-0 run, which proved insurmountable for Rutgers.
Throughout the game, Rutgers struggled, shooting only 33 percent from the field, while Purdue achieved a shooting percentage of 50.
The bench for Rutgers contributed significantly, accounting for 46 percent of the team’s total points, with graduate student Tyson Acuff leading the way with 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Freshman Dylan Grant continued his strong performance from Monday, scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds without missing a shot in 15 minutes of play.
With this loss, Rutgers’ record stands at 8-8 for the season (1-4 in conference play), while Purdue improves to 12-4 (4-1).
The Scarlet Knights will seek to recover on Monday, January 13, when they host UCLA (11-4, 2-2) at 6:30 PM.
