Montez Mathis had never made more than 2 three-pointers in a game. So naturally, he went a perfect 5 of 5 from beyond the line of threes and carried Rutgers to their third straight Big Ten win, topping Purdue 81-76 at home.
Sometimes these games just come down to who makes their shots. Purdue didn’t make theirs, going 7-26 from three, and Rutgers had one of their best shooting performances of the year, dropping 11 of their 21 attempts.
The guards for Rutgers simply out played Purdue’s.
Eric Hunter Jr. and Brandon Newman both started the game, both struggled, and both were replaced in the starting lineup in the second half by Isaiah Thompson who tied a career-high of 17 points with his best performance of the year.