Piscataway, NJ—-Rutgers University (9-8, 2-4 Big Ten Conference) secured a 75-68 victory over UCLA on Monday night at Jersey Mike’s Arena, with an announced crowd of 8,000 spectators in attendance. Ace Bailey led the charge for the Scarlet Knights, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Dylan Harper chipped in 18 points and 4 assists to help guide the Knights to the win.
The game began with UCLA jumping out to an early 7-0 lead, but Bailey quickly responded with two baskets to bring Rutgers back into the contest. The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with Rutgers narrowing the gap to just one point at the 7:54 mark (UCLA 20, Rutgers 19).
At halftime, the Bruins held a slim three-point advantage, leading 33-30.
In the first half, UCLA shot 41.9% (13-31) from the field, while Rutgers posted a shooting percentage of 37.9% (11-29).
The Scarlet Knights came out strong in the second half. Bailey opened the scoring with a tip-in, followed by back-to-back three-pointers from Harper, giving Rutgers their first lead of the contest. The Bruins responded and tied the game at 41 after a basket from Eric Bailey Jr. However, Tyson Acuff drained a deep three-pointer, and Bailey hit a jumper to push the Scarlet Knights lead 46-41 with 14:46 left on the clock.
RU would never trail again, holding off the runs from the Bruins for the remainder of the game.
UCLA was led by Eric Bailey Jr. and Sebastian Mack, who each scored 16 points. The Scarlet Knights outrebounded the Bruins 37-29 and Rutgers’ bench made a significant contribution, adding 25 points to the team’s total which was the difference of the game.
This victory marks the first time the two teams have met on Rutgers’ home floor, having previously faced off three times between 1976 and 1981, with UCLA winning two of those matchups.
Next up, Rutgers will travel to Nebraska for a game on Thursday, while UCLA will return home to host Iowa on Friday.
