Six weeks after the turn of the century, Rutgers posted consecutive road wins over Big East foes, topping Boston College and Providence over a 10-day span in February 2000.
Hard as it is to believe, the Scarlet Knights haven’t accomplished that feat since.
After upsetting Penn State for its first ever Big Ten road win last weekend, Rutgers had a chance to accomplish something it hasn’t done in 17 years.
But Ohio State thwarted that quest.
Kam Williams led three Buckeyes in double figures with a game-high 23 points, as Ohio State held off a spirited Rutgers rally and prevailed 70-64 in a Big Ten affair Wednesday night in Columbus, Ohio.
RU-Ohio St.: Stats, boxscore
Corey Sanders scored a team-best 17 and dished out four assists, Mike Williams added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Deshawn Freeman and Issa Thiam produced 10 points apiece for the Scarlet Knights (13-12, 2-10 Big Ten), who dropped their fourth straight to Ohio State since entering the conference in 2014-15.
Ohio State (15-10, 5-7) extended a 33-27 halftime lead to 12 points with 16:49 to play, but Rutgers clawed back.
Williams and center Shaq Doorson scored four apiece during a 12-4 run over the next four minutes to pull the Scarlet Knights within four. Williams’ jumper with 9:31 to play knotted the score at 50 apiece, but Ohio State’s Williams snapped the deadlock with a longer jump shot on the ensuing possession.
Rutgers’ chances at springing an upset took a hit four minutes later. With Kam Williams in the act of a 3-point shot, Sanders picked up his fourth foul with 5:04 to play, and it resulted in three made free throws by the Ohio State guard.
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Sanders was whistled for a charge on the ensuing possession, and the Scarlet Knights had to play without their best play-maker over the final five minutes.
The Scarlet Knights refused to go away, pulling even again after Thiam converted a turnover into a tip-in basket to tie it at 62 apiece with 1:19 to play.
But the turning point occurred on the ensuing possession, as Kam Williams was fouled by Mike Williams while attempting a 3-pointer. The Buckeyes guard converted the free throw for a 4-point play, and the Scarlet Knights couldn’t recover over the final minute.
“That was a backbreaker, that 4-point play,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said during a post-game interview on the Rutgers IMG Sports Network. “It was kind of the dagger in the game.”
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Freeman’s tip-in of a Nigel Johnson miss pulled Rutgers within 66-64 with 29 seconds to play. But Ohio State iced it by making all four free throws over the final 26 seconds to improve to 13-4 this season at home.
“Corey fouling out at the end was a big disadvantage for us, especially down the stretch,” said Pikiell, whose team shot 39.7 percent from the floor, 4-for-17 from 3-point range, and 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from the free throw line in a dismal shooting effort.
“We just have to keep playing,” the Rutgers coach added. “We can play with anybody in this league. We’ve proven that now. We just have to finish off some of these games now.”
Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
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