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Dec 20, 2024 12:12 pm

Resilient Rutgers aims to ride emotional wave vs. Princeton

Rutgers basketball Knights

Rutgers fans are still beaming after their team’s buzzer-beating win over heated rival Seton Hall last weekend.

The Scarlet Knights (7-4) can further assert themselves as the best team in New Jersey when they shoot for revenge against Princeton (8-4) on Saturday afternoon on a neutral floor in Newark, N.J.

Last year, the programs opened the season against each other, renewing a rivalry that had gone dormant since 2013. Princeton won 68-61 on a neutral court in Trenton on its way to a 24-3 regular season. The Tigers have won four of the past five meetings.

This is no typical Rutgers team, though. The Scarlet Knights have won two straight games over Penn State and Seton Hall, with freshman sensation Dylan Harper scoring 24 points in both. He hit the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer on Dec. 14 against the visiting Pirates, securing a 66-63 victory in a game in which Rutgers had trailed by 10.

“We are growing,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “This team has been tough and resilient. We have done a good job but must figure out how to continue doing so. … Our team has to and will continue to learn from all the teams’ different styles.”

Harper is the third-leading scorer in the country at 23.5 points per game, adding 4.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He does most of his scoring at the rim; he shoots 59.5 percent inside the arc.

NBA scouts and fans alike will enjoy the point guard matchup between Harper and Princeton’s Xaivian Lee.

In each of Princeton’s last three games, Lee has led or co-led the Tigers in points, rebounds and assists. The biggest highlight was Lee’s 18-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist game in a road win over Saint Joseph’s, the first triple-double on record in Princeton history.

He added 23 points, six rebounds and six assists in Princeton’s last game, when the Tigers sweated out a 71-67 win over Monmouth.

“I thought as a team we did a good job staying composed; for myself, too,” Lee said, per the Trentonian. “I feel like in a game like that last year, if I maybe back-rimmed three 3s where I felt like were (going in), I would kind of shut down a little bit. So I was happy to see myself still be able to take control and stay confident at the end of the game because my teammates and our coaching staff trust me to make those plays.”

While Lee and Harper lock horns, Princeton will also have to contain Rutgers’ other five-star freshman, Ace Bailey.

Though Bailey is 6-foot-10 with a roughly 7-foot wingspan, he can play in the backcourt as well as at forward, and the smaller Tigers will have a hard time matching up against him. Bailey puts up 17.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.

–Field Level Media

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