Rutgers overcomes jitters, upset-minded Lehigh to escape season opener

Ron Harper, Jr. exults as Rutgers survived Lehigh in season opener, needing overtime to defeat Mountain Hawks. (Photo by On The Banks)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — In a sense, it was almost like starting over.

Back in front of fans at the newly christened Jersey Mike's Arena for the first time in 617 days, Rutgers shook off early jitters and an upset threat from a former Cinderella while teaching itself how to win again, play again, feel whole again.

Taking on Lehigh, known primarily for an upset of Duke in the 2012 NCAA Tournament behind C.J. McCollum, the Mountain Hawks looked to add Rutgers to their collection of high-major conquests, and seemed primed to do so for 39 minutes before Geo Baker connected on yet another of his patented step-back jumpers to tie the game and send it to overtime. And in that extra session, Baker helped drive the dagger into the opposing heart once more, feeding Cliff Omoruyi for an alley-oop that sealed a 73-70 victory that — despite raising stress levels — proved equal parts cathartic and instructional.

“It was great to be playing in front of people,” Steve Pikiell reflected after coaching Rutgers to a unique NCAA Tournament appearance in last season’s bubble environment. “You don’t know what the environment was last year because you saw it from television, (but) it was not where you want to be. The energy that the crowd brings — keep in mind, we were 18-1 the last time we had this court — to have fans back means a ton. Maybe we were caught up in some of that stuff, but we’ll settle in. It certainly helped us in all phases of today.”

“It’s crazy, because you go from a year without playing in front of fans, and then the next thing you know, you’ve got 8,000 people in front of you,” Ron Harper, Jr. surmised after posting a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. “But as the game progressed, we learned to feed off the crowd energy again, we learned how to let the crowd push us through tough moments again. That’s something we missed last year and something we’re glad to have back.”

The 8,000 paying customers in the stands were just as glad to have the Scarlet Knights back, too, raising their collective voices when necessary but relegated to stunned silence for most of the night as Lehigh played the part of spoiler and assassin, leaving a lasting impression on Wednesday night’s dance partner.

“Great teams are going to find a million different ways to win,” said Harper. “In my sophomore year on opening night, we beat Bryant by two when their best player missed a three at the end of the game that went in and out. Everybody wrote us off back then and we ended up going 18-1 at the RAC, so this is a game we’ll learn from. It’s an important win and a step forward.”

“These wins are the best type of wins to get early in the season,” Geo Baker echoed. “When you hit adversity, you see what type of team you are. Today, we realized that we can take a punch, we can react the right way. Nobody had their heads down.”

The lunchpail mentality was prevalent across the roster, but perhaps no further than in Cliff Omoruyi. In the sophomore’s first effort at replacing Myles Johnson in the starting lineup, he needed all of nine seconds to score the game’s first basket on a reverse dunk, gaining steam throughout the night and validating the effusive praise his coach heaped on him in the preseason.

“I think we don’t have to have anymore talk about the five spot,” Pikiell quipped after Omoruyi amassed 16 points and nine rebounds. “I think we’re in very good hands. I love this guy, he’s as good a worker as we’ve ever had in the program, and we’re really excited about his development. He’s come a long way, and I think he learned a lot from last year. When you play in this league, you learn some things.”

“I heard all the talk about how we would replace Myles, and I always say I believe in Cliff,” Harper proclaimed. “You guys got to see that tonight. The dude’s a monster, and he’s just getting started.”

Behind every great player is an even greater teammate, and Rutgers’ headlining trio was set up brilliantly by Paul Mulcahy and Caleb McConnell. Between Mulcahy using his size to back down Lehigh defenders and McConnell being the personification of efficiency at both ends of the floor, the pair underscored just how vital their presence is to a team intent on advancing further than last March’s coming-out party.

“They bring such great energy and such great passion to our team,” Harper proudly said. “How many teams do you cover and there’s guys saying they want to be defensive player of the year? Not many. How many times do you go into a room with a bunch of basketball players at the Division I level and you hear somebody say they want to lead the country in assists? It’s just rare, and we’re lucky to have them. They played their hearts out tonight.”

At the end of the day, heart won out, and for Rutgers, the fortitude may not silence some of the question marks, but it certainly goes a long way toward mitigating them in the eyes of its head coach.

“I knew this was going to be a really difficult game,” Pikiell conceded. “I’ve watched them play a lot the last two or three years. I love the fact that we grinded the game out, we kind of figured out a way. We’re going to be a team that continues to get better as the season goes, but I like this group a ton. (There were) a lot of obstacles we hit today, but I thought getting through them was a good thing.”