February 1, 2016
Page 11 WRESTLING RUTGERS 28, PRINCETON 6
Knights dominate in dual victories over Terps, Tigers ERIC MULLIN ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
As Billy Smith got set and went to his knees in the center of the mat, the entire Rutgers wrestling team was on their feet, urging the 2,047 fans in attendance at the Rutgers Athletic Center to do the same. Just moments after the whistle blew to begin the second portion of the match’s overtime period, Smith was able to escape the grasp of Maryland’s Dawson Peck, settling the 5-5 tie and sending those at the RAC into a frenzy. The atmosphere was that of a dual meet that hung in the balance of the outcome of the heavyweight match. But the reality was that Smith had just capped off a 30-3 rout over Maryland for the Scarlet Knights. For a team that said it was itching to get back on the mat following a 12-day break, the Knights exhibited that eagerness with their energy and performance in two dominating dual-meet victories over the weekend. After cruising to their third conference win of the season against Maryland (4-10, 1-6) on Friday night, the No. 12 Knights (13-3, 3-2) continued their recent dominance over Princeton (4-6) with a 28-6 win on Sunday. “You get stagnant, and you want to compete and you want to put your hands on somebody else,” said head coach Scott Goodale after Rutgers’ victory over Maryland. “I was worried about it. Every now and then it’s really good to have a break and get healthy ... But its tough to go down there ... and go through just practices (every day) ... I thought our guys really ... were rested and ready to go and fired up for the match.”
Heavyweight Billy Smith picked up a thrilling overtime win against Maryland. With two wins over the weekend the senior moved to 13-3 in dual meets this season. THE DAILY TARGUM / NOVEMBER 2015 Coming off their first loss to an unranked opponent of the season in their previous match against Minnesota, Rutgers left no doubt on the mat against the Terrapins. Holding a 4-3 advantage after the first two individual matches, the Knights reeled off victories in the final eight bouts capped off by Smith’s thrilling overtime 8-5 decision win. The atmosphere for Smith’s match was unusual for the final individual bout of a blowout, but it didn’t surprise the grapplers in scarlet and black, who take pride
in competing in front of their fans at the RAC. “Nothing beats Rutgers’ crowds, I’ve always said that,” Smith said. “It’s a shame that it took a little bit to get in some of those smaller guys, winning the tight matches. I’d like to see the fans get into it a little sooner. But the fans are the greatest, every time you hear that ‘R-U’ you take pride in it, and you’re glad to wear the ‘R’ on your chest.” After just one day off, the Knights traveled about 20 minutes south to visit an old rival in
Princeton, where they put on a similar display to Friday night. Sophomore 184-pounder Nicholas Gravina began the day with an upset, 7-1 decision win over No. 19 Abram Ayala. After dropping the next decision, Rutgers blitzed the Tigers in taking the next seven bouts. A pin fall from redshirt 133-pounder Anthony Giraldo and a major decision from sophomore 141-pounder Anthony Ashnualt were key contributors for the Knights in putting up 28 points on the scoreboard.
Rutgers’ 28-6 win over Princeton marked their 20th consecutive win over their intrastate rival. In total, the Knights took 17 of the 20 individual bouts and collected seven bonus points along the way in their dual meets against Maryland and Princeton. With their win over Maryland, Rutgers surpassed their conference win total of two from their inaugural season last year. While Rutgers had an impressive showing this weekend after a long break, they are aware that this past weekend was just the beginning of the toughest stretch of their schedule. In the following two weekends, the Knights will have two matches over the span of three days yet again. This Friday and Sunday, Rutgers will face Wisconsin and Michigan, respectively, at the RAC. The following weekend, the Knights will face both Indiana and Purdue on the road with just one day separating the matches. So while the Rutgers wrestling team has enjoyed a lot of success this year, they don’t plan on letting off the gas pedal anytime soon. “It says something about how far we’ve come, but we still have a long way to go,” said junior 157-pounder Richie Lewis said after the Knights win over Mar yland. “This is the first year that we’re really rolling hard and we just want to continue to do it year-in and year-out with new recruits and a great coaching staff. It’s this year and we’re focusing on this year, and when it’s next year we’re focusing on next year.” For updates on the Rutgers wrestling team, follow @EricMullin_ and @TargumSports on Twitter.
MEN’S BASKETBALL NO. 12 MICHIGAN STATE 96, RUTGERS 62
Rutgers blown out in ninth straight conference loss BRIAN FONSECA SPORTS EDITOR
The first minutes of the Rutgers men’s basketball team’s meeting with No. 12 Michigan State was filled with inconsistent shooting from both teams. The Scarlet Knights missed five of their first six shots. After hitting three of their first four attempts from the floor, the Spar tans missed four straight shots heading into the first stoppage in play at the under-16 timeout. The talk from Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo during the game’s first break lit a fire under his team and it never looked back. The Spartans shot the Knights out of the gym, hitting six straight threes out of the timeout to pull away en route to a 96-62 blowout. Bryn Forbes led the run for the home side, hitting five straight threes during the onslaught. The last of the bunch proved how hot he and his team were from deep, as he nailed a shot a hand in his face. Facing a ranked team for the third time in its last four contests, Rutgers (6-16, 0-9) couldn’t keep up with its hosts’ unconscious shooting from downtown.
Michigan State was on fire from the initial timeout forward, tying the school record with 17 threes as the Knights suffer their 24th straight Big Ten loss, ninth straight overall. Although they were defeated by at least 20 points for the sixth time in nine conference games, it was not due to a lack of resilience. Rutgers had a response to the Spartan’s 15-6 run out of the under-16 timeout in the first half, going on a 12-3 run of its own following the under-12 timeout to come within seven points. That was the closest it came to recovering the lead. Both teams traded baskets until the halftime horn blew and the Knights went into the locker room down 11 points. Just like the first period, the second half began in equilibrium, with Michigan State leading by 16 at the under-16. But after the initial timeout of the second period, the Spartans caught fire from the floor once again while the Knights went ice cold. Michigan State went on a 24-5 run to pull away from Rutgers for good as the visitors went nearly four minutes without scoring, missing 10 straight shot attempts.
Once the Spartans tied the program record with their 17th three, Izzo cleared his bench and rested his starters, sparing the Knights of yet another historic result. Sophomore Mike Williams led Rutgers with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting. The guard hit his team’s first attempt from the floor, a trey to give the Knights their first — and only — lead at 3-2. Williams’s three followed National Player of the Year candidate Denzel Valentine’s initial basket on the other end of the floor, a fade-away jumper while being guarded by guard Corey Sanders. The 6-foot-2 freshman, who finished right behind Williams with 17 points, was tasked with guarding the long, 6-foot-5 forward throughout most of the first half. Valentine was held to eight points in the opening period, but Forbes’s 18 points resulting from his hot hand and 75 percent shooting from beyond the arc made up for it. A key factor for Rutgers keeping its last two games against then-No. 3 Iowa and Michigan competitive, Jonathan Laurent was a non-factor in East Lansing Sunday. The freshman forward was held scoreless in 16 minutes of action, fouling out with 2:47 remaining in the contest.
Still seeking their first ever Big Ten road win, the Knights hope to end the current 24game skid in conference play in their next contest. Rutgers hosts Illinois, who is 2-6 in Big Ten play, Wednesday at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
If the Knights shoot as efficiently as Forbes and the Spartans did at the Breslin Center Sunday, they’ll be in good shape. For updates on the Rutgers men’s basketball team, follow @ briannnnf and @TargumSports on Twitter.
Sophomore guard Mike Williams led the Knights with 18 points, but his efforts weren’t enough to prevent another blowout loss. EDWIN GANO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / JANUARY 2016