For the second straight season, Rutgers has knocked off Purdue No. 1. (AP/Michael Conroy)
Rutgers is getting better and better at it.
The Scarlet Knights have stunned leaders Purdue for the second year in a row.
Rutgers batted off the Purdue 65-64 No. 1 Monday night in West Lafayette, Indiana, thanks to a clutch-3 pointer from Cam Spencer in the dying seconds. The win followed last season’s incredible half-court buzzer beater win over the Boilermakers of New Jersey.
The loss is now Purdue’s first this season, leaving No. 21 New Mexico as the country’s remaining undefeated team. It will undoubtedly knock the Boilermakers out of the No. 1 ranking next week, a post they have held for almost a month.
“We know what’s coming. What Rutgers did tonight didn’t shock us,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said on ESPN. “If we were going to war, we’d stop by New Jersey and pick them up.”
Rutgers was leading for most of Monday night at Mackey Arena, even holding a double-digit lead at halftime. The Boilermakers finally got back under the five-minute mark in the second half after Brandon Newman hit a 3-pointer clutch – which was their first lead of the game since the opening minutes.
After a little back and forth, Purdue newcomer Fletcher Loyer then drilled a 3-pointer of his own to put the Boilermakers ahead again with almost 30 seconds remaining in the game.
Then Spencer came in.
Spencer caught a pass at the top of the key and executed a fake shot perfectly before hitting his starting shot with 3 pointers – which proved enough to give the Scarlet Knights the one-point win.
“He played well all game and he’s not just a shooter,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said of Spencer via ESPN. “He leads the league in steals and does a lot for us. At the end he says, ‘I’ll do that.’ He’s a very confident kid.”
Purdue star Zach Edey finished the tournament with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Newman added 11 points from the bench. Loyer was the only other Boilermakers player to score in double figures in the loss, and the team shot less than 40% from the field.
The story goes on
Paul Mulcahy led Rutgers with 16 points and eight rebounds, and center Clifford Omoruyi added 12 points and six rebounds. Spencer finished with 14 points and went 2-of-4 behind the arc.
Rutgers has now won four in a row as Big Ten play gets underway. The Scarlet Knights also have a resounding win over Indiana under their belt and suffered a one-point loss to Ohio State nearly a month ago.
“We’re three games in the best league in the country,” Pikiell, who picked up his 300th career win on Monday night, told ESPN. “We’re good, but it’s a long, long season.”