Rutgers win streak against Indiana snapped with hard-fought road loss

Rutgers knows to expect a heavyweight fight when in Bloomington to take on Indiana.

On Tuesday night, both sides went punch-for-punch coming off big wins on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights struggled to get off the mat as the Hoosiers got back in the win column in this rivalry.

No. 17 Indiana secured a 66-60 win over No. 24 Rutgers at Assembly Hall. This win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Hoosiers in this matchup dating back to 2019. Both sides are now tied for second in the Big Ten standings.

Rutgers (16-8, 8-5) shared that Mawot Mag would be lost for the season with a torn ACL and his absence was glaring early on. Indiana (17-7, 8-5) started out hot offensively, hitting 11 of its first 15 shots. The Hoosiers built a double-digit lead but Rutgers ended the first half on an 11-2 run to get within three.

A Cam Spencer three-pointer capped a 21-8 run to tie the game with 19 minutes remaining. With Mag out of the lineup, Rutgers would also need someone to step up offensively. Oskar Palmquist and Aundre Hyatt combined to knock down five shots from beyond the arc.

Right when Rutgers got the fight back to the center of the ring, Indiana put them back on the ropes. From that moment on, the Hoosiers went on an 11-2 run as Rutgers missed 12 of its final 13 from deep. The lead was cut to three once again but the Scarlet Knights could not get over the hump — or contain Trayce Jackson-Davis.

In a game where he scored his 2,000th career point, Jackson-Davis logged 20 points and 18 rebounds.

Cliff Omoruyi led Rutgers with 15 points but the Hoosiers kept his off the boards, finishing with just four rebounds. Spencer knocked down two from deep, snapping out of a slump over the last few games.

The Scarlet Knights will be back in action on Saturday against Illinois at State Farm Center, a place it has never won. The Big Ten race continues to heat up and each game carries more and more weight for Rutgers.