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PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Clifford Omoruyi had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Aundre Hyatt scored all 14 of his points in the second half and Rutgers beat Penn State 65-45 on Tuesday night.
Hyatt scored eight straight Rutgers points during a 12-2 run to extend the lead to 51-38 with 8:29 left. The Scarlet Knights led by double figures the rest of the way and closed the game on an 8-0 run.
"I don't know how I left this group become a soft defensive group," said an upset Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry to a radio audience after the game.
"(Rutgers) got whatever they wanted on us. They shots 3s in our face and we didn't do anything about it. Maybe I am too easy on them."
Penn State went 2 for 12 from the field over the final 10 minutes and finished shooting 33%. The Nittany Lions had made at least eight 3-pointers in 18 of 19 games this season but went 4 for 26 against Rutgers.
"It's January and we are going to get tough in practice. We cannot play soft," Shrewsberry said. "I am going to find some dudes that are going to play. We have to show up when we play on the road."
Paul Mulcahy had 12 points, five rebounds and six assists for Rutgers (14-6, 6-3 Big Ten). Caleb McConnell added 10 points and seven boards as the Scarlet Knights outrebounded Penn State 43-26. Cam Spencer, averaging a team-high 13.6 points, was held to 1-of-7 shooting for three points.
"Their 65 points were easy and we gave them shots. We gave them looks," Shrewsberry said. "We played patty cake with them. Our 45 points … they made us earn them."
Seth Lundy scored eight of Penn State first 10 points as the Nittany Lions started slow offensively and Rutgers held a 16-11 lead just over 10 minutes into the game. The Scarlet Knights used a 9-4 run over a 4:18 stretch late in the opening term to extend their advantage to 10 at 27-17 with just over three minutes to play in the first half.
"We are going to find out who is going to play and how much it means to them. We played soft," Shrewsberry said. "If you don't earn it, you're not playing."
Rutgers led 32-24 at halftime after holding Penn State to 32% shooting. The Nittany Lions made just five of their first 20 shots before finishing 9 of 28. Omoruyi made five of his six first-half shots and had 12 points at the break.
The Nittany Lions made five of their first seven shots of the second half to put together a 10-5 run and pull within three at 37-34 just over five minutes into the half. Rutgers answered with a 14-4 run over the next 5:18 that was capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers by Hyatt to give the Scarlett Knights their largest lead yet at 51-38 with 8:28 to play.
Penn State didn't get closer than eight the rest of the way as the Nittany Lions remained cold and Rutgers claimed the win.
Jalen Pickett had 15 points and eight rebounds for Penn State (13-7, 4-5). Lundy and Andrew Funk each added 12 points.
Both teams play again on Sunday. Rutgers plays at Iowa while Penn State hosts Michigan.
Game notes: The Nittany Lions came into the game averaging 10.9 3-pointers per game and a 39.4-percent average from beyond the arc. … Pickett tallied his 18th double-digit scoring effort of the season and led Penn State in rebounds for the 11th time this season. … Lundy got his 17th double-digit game of the season, while Funk had his 13th.
PENN STATE (13-7): Njie 2-3 0-1 4, Funk 4-10 2-2 12, Pickett 7-14 1-2 15, Wynter 0-4 0-0 0, Lundy 4-10 2-3 12, Dread 0-5 0-0 0, Clary 1-4 0-0 2, Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Dorsey 0-0 0-1 0, Mahaffey 0-0 0-0 0, Brown 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 18-54 5-9 45.
RUTGERS (14-6): Mag 1-3 5-6 8, Omoruyi 6-7 4-7 16, McConnell 3-7 4-4 10, Mulcahy 5-11 2-2 12, Spencer 1-7 0-0 3, Hyatt 6-12 0-0 14, Woolfolk 1-1 0-0 2, Simpson 0-2 0-0 0, Miller 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-50 15-19 65.
Halftime--Rutgers 32-24. 3-Point Goals--Penn St. 4-26 (Lundy 2-4, Funk 2-7, Johnson 0-1, Brown 0-2, Clary 0-2, Wynter 0-2, Pickett 0-3, Dread 0-5), Rutgers 4-13 (Hyatt 2-6, Mag 1-2, Spencer 1-3, Mulcahy 0-2). Rebounds--Penn St. 25 (Pickett 8), Rutgers 41 (Omoruyi 10). Assists--Penn St. 9 (Dread 3), Rutgers 13 (Mulcahy 6). Total Fouls--Penn St. 17, Rutgers 14.