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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Ron Harper Jr. scored 19 points and hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to give Rutgers a 66-63 victory over Indiana on Wednesday night.
Geo Baker made a 3 to give the Scarlet Knights a 57-56 lead with 2:34 remaining, and they stretched the advantage to five points with 19.2 seconds remaining.
Indiana’s Miller Kopp made a pair of free throws and then forced a turnover on the next series. Kopp got the ball to Parker Stewart, who drilled a 3 th at tied it at 63 with 10 seconds to go before Harper sealed it. Rutgers guard Paul Mulcahy was ejected with 19.2 seconds left in the game after it appeared he took a frustrated swing at Indiana’s Xavier Johnson, who was overly crowding him along the sideline.
Rutgers (17-12, 11-8 Big Ten) has won five straight and seven of the last eight in the series and this win is a big boost to its NCAA Tournament resume.
Harper was 7 of 12 from the floor and Baker finished with 13 points. The pair combined for all eight of the Knights’ 3-pointers. Clifford Omoruyi had 13 points and 12 rebounds to collect a sixth double-double.
Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Indiana (18-11, 9-10). Xavier Johnson added 13 points and Race Thompson 12.
A 10-0 run early in the second half gave Rutgers a 38-37 advantage, but Indiana answered with a 10-2 spurt, capped by a Johnson dunk and 3-pointer. The Hoosiers held the lead until Baker’s layup tied it at 52 with 5:30 remaining.
Indiana plays at eighth-ranked Purdue in a season-finale on Saturday while Rutgers concludes its regular season hosting Penn State on Sunday.
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