Rutgers Comeback Falls Short vs. Purdue
A valiant comeback attempt fell short as Rutgers fell to Purdue 68-60 at a sold-out Jersey Mike’s Arena on Sunday afternoon. The loss drops Rutgers to 10-9 on the year and 2-6 in the Big Ten Conference.
Rutgers trailed by as much as 14 points after a Branden Smith three-pointer and Zach Edy jumper put Purdue up 43-29 with 15:58 to go in the game, before mounting a heroic comeback.
The momentum started to shift when Gavin Griffiths nailed a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 11. From there Rutgers went on a 14-3 run to trim the Purdue lead down to three points when Aundre Hyatt hit a free throw to make it 46-43 ballgame.
Unfortunately for Rutgers, Purdue superstar Zach Edy accounted for seven of the next nine points for Purdue, as the Boilermakers re-established a six-point lead with 6:32 to go.
Edy, the 6-foot-8 Purdue front man was again hard to contain. He scored 26 points and 12 boards in the win for the Boilermakers.
Rutgers also had trouble staying out of foul trouble, drawing 16 fouls. Austin Williams was whistled five times.
Hyatt did his part to pace Rutgers offensively, netting 15 points to lead the team.
KNIGHTS OF HONOR:
Sunday was also a day to celebrate for Rutgers as three legends of the 1976 squad that advanced to the Final Four were formally recognized in the inaugural class of the Knights of Honor.
Recognized were Hollis Copeland, Mike Dabney, and Eddie Jordan. All three players were members of the 1975-76 Rutgers team that went all the way to the Final Four.
“First I want to thank Eddie Jordan, Mike Dabney, Hollis Copeland, and James Bailey for coming back,” Head Coach Steve Pikiell said. “To see their numbers up in the rafters is really impressive and I’m really appreciative that we were able to honor them the right way.”
“I am grateful to Coach Pikiell for initiating this. It means a lot to me after all these years,” Jordan said in a dedication video.
To listen to a full interview with Hollis Copeland click here!
