Bailey Shines Bright, But Men’s Basketball Succumbs 84-74 at Indiana

BLOOMINGTON — The Scarlet Knights commenced the new year and resumed conference competition with an 84-74 defeat against Indiana Thursday night at Assembly Hall. 
 
Rutgers approached the contest depleted. Five-star rookie and top scorer Dylan Harper was sidelined “not feeling well,” as reported by head coach Steve Pikiell.
 
Another five-star playmaker, Ace Bailey, excelled in Harper’s absence, tallying a career-high 39 points, along with eight rebounds and four blocks (53 percent of RU’s total scoring). This achievement matches the highest point total by a Rutgers freshman in a Big Ten competition in program history and ranks as the second most by any opponent in Assembly Hall. His 16 field goals set a record for the most ever by a Rutgers freshman.
 
Indiana took a 41-34 advantage into halftime after sinking a long three-pointer at the buzzer, their seventh of the evening. IU concluded the game 12-for-27 from beyond the arc, while Rutgers converted 6-for-21.
 
The 18 offensive rebounds by Indiana proved crucial – 34 of their 84 points came from second-chance opportunities. Indiana also added 19 points off 11 Rutgers turnovers, although RU’s defense generated eight turnovers of their own.
 
Freshman Lathan Sommerville maintained his strong performance coming off the bench, scoring eight points without a miss. Rutgers veterans Jamichael Davis and Jeremiah Williams contributed eight and nine points, respectively, and Tyson Acuff closed with seven.
 
Rutgers found themselves down by as much as 18 but narrowed the gap to six points with nine minutes to go before Indiana sealed the game.
 
The Scarlet Knights record now stands at 8-6 (1-2 in conference play) while the Hoosiers advance to 11-3 (2-1) and maintain an unblemished 10-0 at Assembly Hall.
 
Rutgers is set to face Wisconsin (10-3, 0-2) on Monday, Jan. 6 at Jersey Mike’s Arena, marking the first of a three-game home stretch.
 
Postgame Highlights 

At Indiana on January 2, Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey scored 39 points with 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and one steal on 16-of-29 shooting

• Bailey equaled the Rutgers’ freshman scoring record, previously held by Corey Sanders, who achieved 39 points against Illinois in 2016
• Bailey’s 39 points marked the highest ever by an RU freshman in a regulation game
• -There have been four occasions in RU history where a freshman scored 36+ points. Three have occurred this season.

Ace Bailey vs. Indiana, 2025: 39
Dylan Harper vs. Notre Dame, 2024 (OT): 36
Dylan Harper vs. Alabama, 2024: 35
Corey Sanders vs. Illinois, 2016 (3OT): 39
 
Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper represent the second set of freshman teammates in the last 15 years to each post 37+ point games in the same season. They join Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, who accomplished this feat in 2016-17.
 
Bailey’s 30 points constituted a career-best and tied for the 11^th most in a single game by an RU player in history 
 
His 39 points are the second highest for any opponent in Assembly Hall history 
 
Bailey’s 16 field goals ranked
– Most ever by a RU player in a Big Ten game
– Most ever by a RU freshman
– 10^th most ever by a RU player in a single game
– Tied for the most field goals ever made by a visiting player in Assembly Hall history (Mychal Thompson, Minnesota, 1977)
 
Bailey’s statistics of 39 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks was

• The first player this season to reach those metrics
• Only the second time since 2019 a player achieved a 39-8-4 game
• First freshman with a 39-8-4 performance since Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins (41 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks at West Virginia, March 8, 2014)
• Bailey and Wiggins are the sole D-1 freshmen since 2014 to record a game of 39-8-4

His 29 field goal attempts represent the second most ever by a RU player in a Big Ten game (trailing Sanders’ 33 in the 2016 Illinois matchup)
 
His 4 blocks were: 

• The most ever by a RU freshman in a Big Ten game
• The second NCAA freshman this season to record 4 blocks
• The first RU freshman to tally 4 blocks in a game since 2005 (Nov. 22, 2005, JR Inman vs. Delaware State)
• Only the second Big Ten freshman with four blocks in a game since 2018