 "Photo: Brendan McInerney / Associate Photography Editor")
Another Big East big-timer stepped onto the court last night at the RAC and once again the Rutgers men's basketball team put together a solid effort, never letting No. 15 Connecticut take the game out of hand. But as has been the case for the Scarlet Knights since the calendar turned to 2008, it all led to another loss. And so it goes for the Knights this season.
Jeff Adrien scored a career-high 27 points and collected 11 rebounds to lead the way for the Huskies in their 79-61 victory over RU at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
"He basically kicked our ass," Rutgers head coach Fred Hill Jr. said of Adrien's performance.
Hill did not have any tangible solutions to stop the big man but instead asked for more toughness from his squad.
"What we could have done different is maybe had some heart and played a little tougher," Hill said.
Stanley Robinson added in a double-double of his own for UConn, dropping in 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
"That's as good a performance as he's had for us," Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun said.
The final score was not representative of the performance the Knights put in, though. RU (10-19, 2-14 Big East) managed to keep the game within 10 throughout the majority of the night. Yet, as has become a pattern for team from the Banks, it all came apart in the final 20 minutes. Down six to start the second half, the Knights played resiliently to stay close with the visitors.
Earl Pettis put in a career-best performance to lead the way for RU. The Philadelphia native scored a career-high 18 points and shot 8-of-11. It still wasn't enough offense to buoy his team.
"He obviously had a terrific line," Hill said. "He did some great things."
But as a team, the Knights could not keep up their hot shooting from the first half. After shooting just over 48 percent for the first 20 minutes, their shooting fell apart. RU finished the following half shooting 36 percent.
Pettis was the only Knight in double figures, as Anthony Farmer and Byron Joynes finished with nine.
In addition to their woes in putting the ball in the hoop, rebounding misses was also a problem.
Connecticut won the battle of the boards 41-24 and had three players in double digits. In addition to Adrien and Robinson, center Hasheem Thabeet swooped up 10 rebounds. Thabeet also collected six blocks.
RU went into the half down 43-37, playing Connecticut close throughout and never letting their lead extend farther than 11.
Pettis led the show for the Knights, as he scored 11 points in the half, bettering his career-high in the process. The freshman was perfect on the floor. He hit all five of his shots from the floor, including a pull-up three-pointer from 23 feet. Pettis also contributed two assists in the half and didn't commit a turnover.
Corey Chandler played a comparable second fiddle to his fellow first year. Showing traces of his play before an injury that relegated him to the bench for three weeks, Chandler scored eight points, including two buckets in a span off 22 seconds to close out the half.
But RU was unable to contain Adrien on the inside. The Huskies forward scored 16-points, hitting five of seven shots and all six free throws, to the lament of the Rutgers frontcourt defenders.
Hill decided to not change his game plan against the 6'7" forward and instead put the emphasis on his players.
"Do you just toughen up a little bit and show a little heart and toughen up against a guy who took your lunch," the coach said in explaining his decision to not change his policy towards Adrien.
Ultimately, the Knights could not respond to their coach's challenge and ended up losing the game as well.
