Dylan Grant had 18 of his career-high 28 points in the first half, and Rutgers held off a mild comeback for an 84-72 victory over Lehigh on Friday in Piscataway, N.J.
Emmanuel Ogbole had 15 of his career-high 16 points in the second half and added 10 rebounds for his first career double-double for the Scarlet Knights (3-0), who returned only two part-time starters after losing NBA top 10 draft picks Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. Grant, who made 16 starts last season, is their most experienced returnee.
Nasir Whitlock scored 21 points, Joshua Ingram added 14 points and Hank Alvey contributed 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists for the Mountain Hawks (1-3), whose first two losses were to power conference opponents No. 1 Houston and West Virginia.
The taller Scarlet Knights shot 50.8% from the field — Grant was 9 of 15 — and had a 45-26 rebounding edge.
Lehigh shot 42.6% from the field. After making four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes, the Mountain Hawks finished 9 of 25 from beyond the arc.
Jamichael Davis had 14 points, and his 3-pointer six minutes into the second half gave Rutgers its largest lead at 53-40.
Lehigh got within two at 61-59 after a 15-6 run capped by the second of Ingram’s four threes.
Grant and Ogbole combined for all 10 points as Rutgers regained control, building the lead to 71-62. Lehigh was never closer than seven the rest of the way.
Lehigh has not beaten a power conference opponent since a 2016 victory over Mississippi State.
Lehigh led 16-13 after its early three-point burst before Rutgers charged back behind Grant, who was 5 of 6 from the field and made all seven free-throw attempts in the first half.
Grant had five points and Francis had four in a 13-4 run capped by Grant’s three-point play for a 36-28 lead with 2:31 left in the half. The Scarlet Knights led 41-34 at halftime.
