Rutgers 70-69 Pennsylvania: A Thrilling Come-from-Behind Victory
In a thrilling display of resilience, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights pulled off a stunning comeback against the Pennsylvania Quakers on Saturday night, winning 70-69. With a career-high 34 points, Tariq Francis was the hero of the game, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer with just 0.6 seconds left on the clock.
The game began with a tight contest, as Pennsylvania took a 33-29 lead at halftime. However, the Scarlet Knights' determination and foul-line prowess proved to be the turning point. Despite a poor shooting night from beyond the arc (3 of 20), Rutgers lived at the free-throw line, converting 21 of 31 attempts. Francis, in particular, dominated from the charity stripe, going 15 of 19 and scoring nearly half of Rutgers' points.
As the game progressed, Pennsylvania stretched their lead to 66-59 on Cam Thrower's pull-up jumper with 2:24 remaining. But Rutgers refused to yield, sending a steady stream of players to the free-throw line. The Scarlet Knights' relentless effort paid off, cutting the deficit to just two points in the final minute.
The Quakers briefly regained the lead when TJ Power made a free throw with 23 seconds left, making it 69-67. However, Power's struggles at the line in the final stretch left the game open. Power led Penn with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Dalton Scantlebury contributed 13 points off the bench, and Michael Zanoni and Thrower added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Despite their strong field goal percentage (43%), Pennsylvania struggled to close out the game at the free-throw line. Rutgers, on the other hand, shot 41% overall and relied on their free-throw accuracy to secure the victory.
Looking ahead, Rutgers will host Delaware State on December 29th, while Pennsylvania will end its two-game road trip against George Mason on December 28th. Don't miss out on the action! Stay tuned for more updates and polls throughout the season.
(AP News mobile app) AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
