A s the team’s point guard, James Beatty thinks first about getting the ball to his teammates. Last Thursday night in a Big East game at the RutgersAthletic Center (RAC), Scarlet Knight head coach Mike Rice was glad his senior became more offensive.
Beatty knocked down three 3-pointers that sparked an 11-0 run early in the second half, which helped Rutgers pull out a 71-62 victory over South Florida.
“At halftime, I told him [Beatty] he needs to shoot the ball and penetrate,” said Rice. “We needed more scoring. He’s our point guard and he wants to make everyone happy.”
Beatty made Rice happy with his threepoint barrage.
“That was the game,” said Rice.
Rutgers’ 11-0 spurt took them from a five-point deficit, 30-25, to a 36-30 lead. Although the Bulls would regain the lead temporarily, Beatty had jump-started the offense.
Another 3-pointer from Beatty gave Rutgers the lead for good at 47-44 with 8:46 remaining in the game.
Mike Coburn and Jonathan Mitchell got into the three-point act and the lead grew to 11, 61-50 with 3:19 left.
The Bulls never threatened from there, and the Knights put the game away from the free-throw stripe.
“Our seniors stepped up for us tonight,” said Rice, praising the play of Beatty, Coburn and Mitchell. Rice also pointed to a “complete team defense” with paving the way for the Big East win.
Beatty and Mitchell led the Scarlet Knights with 20 points each. Beatty was 4- 8 from three, and Mitchell was 2-4. Coburn added 13 and went 2-2 from three.
Rice was very pleased with the team’s 17-21 shooting from the free-throw line.
Gilvydas Biruta and Mitchell led the team in rebounds with five each, and Dane Miller dished out the most assists, four.
The win lifted Rutgers to 11-7 overall and 2-4 in the Big East. The Knights improved their record at the RAC this winter to 9-2.
“Our fans helped us win,” said Rice. “They had energy, and our guys love that.”
Rice knows his club needs that energy as it heads into the teeth of the Big East schedule.
“We’re going to continue to fight and claw,” he said.
Rutgers made the win over South Florida stick on Saturday (Jan. 22) when the Knights picked up a rare and needed Big East road victory at Seton Hall.
Miller scored a team-high 17 in the win in Newark that lifted RU to 12-7 overall and 3-4 in the Big East.
The Knights return to the RAC Saturday to take on No. 5-ranked Pittsburgh (tip-off is at 8 p.m.).
The back-to-back Big East wins are an encouraging beginning for the Rice era as the former head coach of Robert Morris looks to reverse the Knights’ fortunes on the hardwood.