Highly touted freshman Ace Bailey scored 17 points in his much-anticipated debut for the No. 24 Rutgers Scarlet Knights, who never trailed in a 98-81 win over Monmouth in Piscataway, N.J., on Friday night.
Bailey, a consensus top-5 recruit, missed the first two games with a hip injury but displayed little rust. He was 5-for-10 from the field with a game-opening 3-pointer and added two thunderous dunks. He also chipped in six rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes.
Dylan Harper, another top-5 recruit who helped give Rutgers its most impressive freshman class ever, added 20 points, six assists, five rebounds and two blocks. Zach Martini scored 18 points, followed by PJ Hayes (11) and Lathan Sommerville (10).
The Scarlet Knights opened a season 3-0 for the fifth time in the last six years.
Abdi Bashir Jr. scored a career-high 38 points on 10-for-17 shooting from 3-point range, and Madison Durr had 17 points for Monmouth (0-4), a member of the Coastal Athletic Association.
Bailey, who received a loud ovation from the sellout crowd of 8,000 upon being introduced, elicited another roar when he drained a corner 3-pointer 27 seconds after Rutgers won the opening tip.
Harper hit a layup to put Rutgers up 5-0 before Monmouth got within one point three times, the last at 14-13 on Chris Morgan’s hook shot with 13:18 left.
The Scarlet Knights took control during an 18-3 run in which six players scored. Martini’s layup put the hosts ahead 32-16 with 8:23 remaining.
Monmouth got within 12 points twice more, the last at 37-25 on Collins’ 3-pointer with 5:49 left. The Hawks went 0-for-3 with a turnover during a scoreless stretch lasting more than two minutes, during which Bailey delivered his first dunk off an alley-oop from Jordan Derkack.
Rutgers led 47-30 at the half and scored the first seven points out of the locker room to take its biggest lead. Monmouth inched within 16 at 56-40 on Durr’s layup, but Sommerville responded with a jumper and Harper’s block of a shot by Durr led to his feed to a streaking Bailey, who followed with his second big dunk.
The Scarlet Knights expanded the lead to 22 three times before Monmouth got as close as 11 with 5:22 to play.
