Tremendous performances, elite defense, drama and almost two dozen lead changes result in the ultimate revenge. Rutgers and Ohio State went back and forth the entire way before the Scarlet Knights were able to pull out the 68-64 overtime victory. There were 22 lead changes in the game after the Buckeyes stormed out to a 15-4 lead early in the first half. RU’s trademark defense showed up in a big way and they made big plays on offense down the stretch. Payback complete.
With Ohio State leading 61-60 with two minutes remaining in overtime, Cliff Omoruyi gave Rutgers the lead on an assist from Cam Spencer. After getting a defensive stop and the shot clock winding down, Paul Mulcahy found Mawot Mag in the corner and he knocked down a massive three-pointer to extend the lead to four points. Rutgers was able to get another stop and Mag made both free throws to essentially seal the victory. The Buckeyes made a three with a couple seconds left trailing by seven to make the score closer at the buzzer.
It was the biggest performance in Mag’s career in finishing with 15 points on 5 of 6 shooting including 2 of 3 from behind the arc. He added 8 rebounds and a block while holding OSU’s Justice Sueing to just 7 points. On a night that Aundre Hyatt struggled and was scoreless, Mag led Rutgers with a +/- of 17.
Cam Spencer led the way with 21 points despite shooting just 5 of 13 from the floor and 2 of 7 from three-point range. However, he was 9 of 11 from the foul line, grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out 6 assists and swiped 4 steals. He was second on the team with a +/- of 13.
Cliff Omoruyi was huge on the defensive end and the foul line. He finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocks. Caleb McConnell was big as well defensively and finsihed with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Rutgers is now half a game out of first place in the Big Ten with a 5-2 record and 13-5 overall. Watch game highlights, the postgame press conference, check the box score and more here.
Here is my rapid reaction video after the spine tingling victory that includes a breakdown of key performances, the coaching job by Steve Pikiell, the importance of this win and much more.
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Biochemist01
January 16, 2023 at 2:57 am
This game nearly killed me. An epic win at the RAC. The place was nuts.