No. 24 Rutgers meets Monmouth, seeks improvement on defense

Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said he doesn't know if heralded freshman Ace Bailey, who is recovering from a hip injury, will make his debut Friday evening.

With or without Bailey, though, Pikiell knows the Scarlet Knights need to improve defensively.

No. 24 Rutgers will look to conclude a season-opening three-game stretch against local rivals Friday when the Scarlet Knights host Monmouth in Piscataway, N.J.

Rutgers (2-0) has been off since Monday, when the Scarlet Knights overcame a five-point halftime deficit to beat visiting Saint Peter's 75-65.

Monmouth (0-3) most recently played Tuesday, losing to host Northern Illinois 79-66.

The Scarlet Knights have ranked among the country's top 20 defensive teams in four of the past five years per KenPom.com and limited opponents to 32.7 percent shooting from 3-point range last season. But Saint Peter's mounted its upset bid by shooting 53.3 percent (16 of 30) from the field, including 6 of 12 from beyond the arc, while taking a 42-37 halftime lead.

The 42 points by Saint Peter's were the most in the first half against Rutgers since Feb. 22, when Purdue -- led by national player of the year Zach Edey -- scored 52 points in the first 20 minutes of a 96-68 win.

"I hugged them all and told them how much I appreciate their lousy defense," Pikiell said of his halftime address in the Saint Peter's game.

Rutgers limited the Peacocks to 26.7 percent shooting from the field -- 4 of 15 from both inside the arc and beyond the 3-point line -- in the second half. But the Scarlet Knights didn't clamp down until Saint Peter's took a 65-64 lead with 4:07 left.

Another touted freshman, Dylan Harper, sank a layup 18 seconds later to begin a game-ending 11-0 run for Rutgers, which forced Saint Peter's to miss its last eight shots from the field.

Harper finished with 24 points and leads the Scarlet Knights with an average of 22 points a game this season.

"We're not going to blow everyone out by 40 -- that's unrealistic," said graduate student PJ Hayes, who had five points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action. "For us to be able to power through that, for a team that's young and a little inexperienced, we need that."

Bailey, who joined Harper to give Rutgers its top-rated recruiting class ever, is expected to provide the Scarlet Knights a boost sooner rather than later.

"He's close," Pikiell said.

Monmouth (0-3) hopes the same is true for redshirt sophomore forward Jaret Valencia, who averaged 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds last season but has missed the first three games while recovering from hernia surgery.

Without Valencia, a preseason all-second team Coastal Athletic Association pick, the Hawks suffered a season-opening 81-57 loss to Michigan State on Nov. 4 before falling to Temple 103-74 last Friday.

Monmouth, which was picked to finish eighth in the 14-team CAA, held a pair of four-point leads Tuesday before Northern Illinois took control with an 18-0 run bridging the halves.

"Disappointing night for us," said coach King Rice, who is in his 14th season with Monmouth. "We have to get better. We'll get home and get back to work."

Sophomore Abdi Bashir Jr. scored a career-high 25 points Tuesday and leads the Hawks with an average of 18.3 points per game.

--Field Level Media