Tariq Francis and Lino Mark paced a strong backcourt showing with 17 points apiece as Rutgers surged ahead midway through the first half and rolled to a 101-64 victory over visiting NJIT Tuesday night in Piscataway.
Francis shot 5-for-8 from the field against his former school, where he played his first two collegiate seasons before transferring to Rutgers.
Mark finished 5-for-9 from the floor, making all five baskets on layups, and added seven free throws. The sophomore also set a career high with eight rebounds, handed out four assists and had a steal.
Christian Gurdak contributed 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks as Rutgers led for the final 31-plus minutes and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the final 27 minutes. Darren Buchanan Jr. and Will Sydnor chipped in 10 apiece as 12 players scored for the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers shot 51.7% and went 18-for-28 on layups and dunks. The Scarlet Knights also made 31 of 41 free throws and scored 100 points for the first time since a triple-overtime loss to Illinois on Feb. 3, 2016.
David Bolden led NJIT (1-3) with 18 points. Brandon Stores Jr. and Matheo Coffi added eight apiece as NJIT fell to 0-9 all-time against Rutgers.
The Highlanders shot 31.8% and missed 22 of 26 3-point attempts.
NJIT made five of its first eight shots and took a 13-8 lead on Coffi’s 3-point play with 15:44 left. Rutgers responded with a 13-2 surge for a 21-15 lead on a 3 by Francis with 11:13 left.
The Scarlet Knights took their first double-digit lead when Mark rebounded a missed jumper by Stores and got past two defenders for a transition layup with 7:19 left. Rutgers limited NJIT to one field goal over the final 6:33 of the half and took a 46-26 lead into the break after two free throws by Francis.
Francis hit two 3s in 38 seconds as the Scarlet Knights took a 58-28 lead less than three minutes into the second half. He hit another jumper to extend the lead to 76-48 with 9:31 left, and Mark converted a three-point play a minute later, giving the Scarlet Knights an 81-52 edge shortly before the duo sat down for good.
