Rutgers started the second half on a 10-0 run on Monday night, in pulling away to score a 72-60 win over Maine in a non-conference men’s basketball game played at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The Black Bears committed nine turnovers in each half, as the Scarlet Knights got out to a 22-6 advantage at the 10:02 mark of the first half. Maine clawed their way back getting within four at one point, ending the opening 20 minutes by scoring 24 of the final 39 points sparked by seven off the bench from Bashir N’Galang as it was 37-30 at the break. Rutgers went on a 10-0 run coming out of the locker room to start the second half to take their biggest lead to that point at 47-30 with 15:56 left. The Black Bears never got closer than 10 the rest of the way.
Denis Badalau had a game-high 19 points (4-8 three-pointers) in the win for Rutgers, as the Scarlet Knights out of the Big 10 Conference improved their record to 2-0. Issac Bonilla led Maine with 12 points (4-5 three-pointers). N’Galang finished with 11 points and had three assists, while TJ Biel chipped in 10 points. Ace Flagg contributed six points (3-5 field goals) with two rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes. The Black Bears are now 0-3 and will now return to Orono to play their home opener on Skip Chappelle Court at Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday at 2 p.m. vs Quinnipiac.
Photo courtesy of UMaine Athletics
