Rutgers men’s basketball team lost to Tennessee 85-60 on Monday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Scarlet Knights fell behind early, allowing 56 first-half points as Tennessee shot nearly 60 percent from the field and made eight of their 13 three-point attempts before halftime.
Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie led all scorers with 32 points, shooting 11-of-20 from the floor and making six three-pointers. Forward Nate Ament contributed 20 points, while Felix Okpara added 10 points and seven rebounds. Tennessee outperformed Rutgers in rebounding, finishing with a 43–28 advantage, and scored 38 points in the paint along with 21 second-chance points.
Rutgers trailed by 26 at halftime and never closed the gap to fewer than 20 points in the second half. Freshman guard Harun Zrno led Rutgers with 14 points, including three three-pointers. Junior forward Darren Buchanan Jr. scored 13 points, sophomore forward Dylan Grant had ten, and junior guard Tariq Francis added nine.
Despite being outscored by only one point in the second half (30–29), Rutgers could not overcome its early deficit. The loss drops their record to 4–2 for the season.
Rutgers is scheduled to play Notre Dame on Tuesday at 1 p.m., with coverage on TNT.
