Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Seton Hall Pirates Box Score on Dec 12, 2021

Bryce Aiken scored 22 points to lead five players in double figures and No. 23 Seton Hall notched an impressive 77-63 win over in-state rival Rutgers on Sunday night in Newark, N.J.

Jared Rhoden had 16 points and nine boards and Kadary Richmond scored all 12 of his points in the first half. Alexis Yetna and Myles Cale added 10 apiece.

The Pirates (9-1) scored their sixth straight victory, extending a streak that includes Thursday's 64-60 home win over No. 7 Texas.

Caleb McConnell led Rutgers (5-5) with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Cliff Omoruyi also scored 13.

Rutgers' Geo Baker returned from a four-game absence as he dealt with a hamstring injury and the flu. Baker came off the bench and chipped in 11 points. Ron Harper Jr. added 10 on 3-of-12 shooting.

It took both teams some time to find their footing, and sloppy execution led to a combined 16 turnovers during the first half. Rutgers stayed on the Pirates' tails for much of the half, tying the game three times in a 1:30 span.

But at 23-23, Richmond pulled off a smooth spin move in the lane to make a layup. Rhoden added a fast-break bucket before Richmond knocked down a 3-pointer. That sparked a 14-0 run for Seton Hall, which Aiken capped by sinking a 3 that electrified the home crowd.

Seton Hall owned a 37-27 lead at halftime and kept things rolling early in the second. During an 8-0 run that ended five-plus minutes in, Rhoden and Cale converted full-court fast breaks for layups on consecutive possessions, 30 seconds apart. Seton Hall went on to score 13 fast-break points and totaled 22 points off 15 Rutgers turnovers.

Rutgers trailed by as many as 16 but used a 10-0 run, with six points from Baker, to trim the deficit to 53-47. But the Scarlet Knights never drew closer than six the rest of the night. With 3:51 to play, Aiken buried his third and final trey from well behind the arc to lock up the result.

For Seton Hall, Sunday was revenge for Rutgers' 68-48 win the last time the rivals met on Dec. 18, 2019.

--Field Level Media