Rutgers withstood a strong push from Drexel (2-2) on Wednesday night, but clamped down defensively and were stellar from the free throw line. It was enough for a 62-57 victory that wouldn’t win any beauty contest, but helped the Scarlet Knights move to 3-0 on the young season so far.
Montez Mathis came out hot, scoring three baskets on layups or dunks in the first four minutes of the game to give Rutgers an early 8-2 lead.
The bench helped extend the lead to 14-4 with just over 12 minutes left in the opening frame, as Jacob Young assisted on a Shaq Carter bucket and also converted two free throws.