Rutgers shows versatility in grinding out win over Hofstra

 

Paul Mulcahy only scored three points, but his nine rebounds and seven assists shaped Rutgers’ gritty win over Hofstra Sunday. (Photo by Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)

Over the past four-plus seasons, Rutgers basketball has come to be known as a blue-collar, lunchpail-type unit, molded seemingly in the image of head coach Steve Pikiell, who has built his Scarlet Knights program as a relentless bunch that prides itself on outworking the opposition and suffocating it defensively.

And after two games Wednesday and Friday where the 24th-ranked team in the nation displayed its offensive prowess by amassing 86 and 96 points against Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson, respectively, Sunday’s step up in class against reigning Colonial Athletic Association champion Hofstra marked a return to the roots of the scarlet-colored success that has washed up on the banks of the old Raritan.

In a stark change of pace from the first 80 minutes of the season, Rutgers put Hofstra through the proverbial meat grinder, rendering the visiting Pride into a meager 30 percent shooting display and leading from the start in a workmanlike 70-56 victory at the RAC to move the Scarlet Knights to 3-0 with Syracuse up next a week from Tuesday, although Pikiell hinted that the ever-so-fluid scheduling process this season may yield another contest between now and then.

“I think we can be a lot better, that’s for sure,” Pikiell said of Rutgers’ defensive effort, ever the perfectionist with the tool that continuously brings the Scarlet Knights to the dance. “I do like that number, though, 56. Our numbers were good. It’s the first time we kept a team under 40 (percent) and under 30 from three, that’s always one of the things we want to do every night. Defensively, we did the things we needed to do, and we took away some of the things that they do a really good job of.”

“If we can figure it out and do it at the right time, probably pretty good,” he said of Rutgers’ chances of scheduling another game before the December 8 visit from Jim Boeheim and the Orange as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. “Everything’s about safety, how much testing, who’s traveling, that kind of thing. Our guys have been safe, we’ve been doing a really good job keeping them that way, and all the decisions will be made based on that.”

Rutgers’ players may be safe physically, but they are also multifaceted on the floor as well, a skill set that will serve them well as they continue to navigate life without Geo Baker. Starting at the point guard position for a second consecutive game, Paul Mulcahy’s three points may not be eye-catching to some, but the sophomore was involved in almost every piece of the action nonetheless. With nine rebounds and seven assists, it was the former Gill St. Bernard’s playmaking capabilities that stood out Sunday afternoon, and earned him rave reviews from both his teammates for making sure every mouth was fed, so to speak.

“Paul’s a team-first guy,” a proud Ron Harper, Jr. assessed. “He’s trying to get his team involved in any way, and that’s why we love Paul’s game. He’s not a me-first guy, he’s about the team, he’s about us. He loves us, and we love playing with him.”

“Paul’s a confidence-giver,” Jacob Young gushed. “That’s what I like most about him. I like how he takes control. He knows when it’s his turn to run the show and get everything under control, and that’s what I love about him. (He’s a) great teammate.”

On a team with several different options capable of burning any given opponent, a player like Mulcahy becomes even more valuable in games like Sunday’s affair. Pikiell praised the fact that each of his nine players to see the floor contributed in some way, shape, or form, but the sheer willingness to turn the game into a grind that was subsequently won may be the most impressive — and most telling — takeaway from Rutgers’ first three offerings this week in Piscataway.

“We were tested in all these games at certain points, and I think we learned a lot about our team and the work that we need to do,” the Scarlet Knights’ coach opined. “Today, we saw a matchup zone for 40 minutes. We didn’t have any tapes of these guys — they hadn’t played this year — so that was another obstacle we had to face. We’ve been in foul trouble and played through that, today we had to play through some fatigue. But I like to grind out wins. It’s a good sign when everything isn’t going your way.”

“This team’s versatile,” Harper added. “We take pride in defense and offense, and in the first two games, we did a lot of good things, but I know we had to focus more defensively. Today was a little bit of both, we played alright offensively and we played a lot better defensively. We’re just putting little pieces of the puzzle together day by day, and we know we can get better.”