By John "Woods" Armwood III
The Scarlet Knights (8-10) defended their home against the No.22 Michigan State Spartans (14-3) on Wednesday night. While the Scarlet Knights fought hard until the very end, they struggled to finish games as the Spartans found a way to prevail, 70-60. Despite being a young team, many would agree that the Scarlet Knights are far better than their record portrays. That said, this marks their seventh B1G Ten conference loss in a row, and many are skeptical of the team morale as a result. While there are many positives to focus on and build from this game, there is still plenty to consider to turn this season around.
“I think it’s sometimes it’s not been one thing, last game it was the rebounding,” Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington stated. “I think the overarching theme is not being able to put together a full forty minutes of execution. … Our inability to really execute, so we just go to plugging away.”
https://x.com/J_Armwood908/status/1880102441624170662
“I think it’s sometimes it’s not been one thing, last game it was the rebounding,” @RutgersWBB HC @CoqueseWashing stated. “I think the overarching theme is not being able to put together a full forty minutes of execution."@Sh3gotgame1 pic.twitter.com/PSKWZwvT0P
— John “Woods” Armwood III (@J_Armwood908) January 17, 2025
Positive Takeaways for Rutgers
Early in the game, the Scarlet Knights appeared to have it going as everyone contributed to the scoring and numerous turnovers, ultimately resulting in 16 bench points. Star forward Destiny Adams proved to be a force on both ends of the ball and opened up opportunities for other players like JoJo Lacey. Lacey and the rest of the role players appeared to be gaining a bit of confidence, while not resulting in victories will go a long way as the season progresses.
“The optimism has never left, we know what we can be and what each player brings to the table,” Washington continued. “It’s just the matter of bringing that every night for forty minutes, and that's been the thing we’ve been inconsistent with.”
In losing efforts, Adams recorded a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) and still proves to be considered one of the best forwards throughout the entire B1G Ten conference.
What’s Next for Rutgers?
Saturday night, the Scarlet Knights will take on Michigan on the road.