Top 25 roundup: 17-0 surge carries Rutgers past No. 10 Indiana

Caleb McConnell collected 16 points and 10 rebounds as host Rutgers scored 17 straight points midway through the second half and pulled away for a 63-48 victory over No. 10 Indiana on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway, N.J., in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

In his third game back from a knee injury, McConnell made 4 of 12 shots, including the 3-pointer that sparked the decisive run, and also made six free throws to help Rutgers (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) beat Indiana for the sixth straight time and eighth time in 11 meetings under coach Steve Pikiell. The Scarlet Knights improved to 10-3 at home against ranked teams since the start of the 2019-20 season.

Derek Simpson added 10 of his 14 points in the decisive run, hitting two layups, a mid-range jumper, a 3-pointer and a free throw as Rutgers turned a 37-35 deficit with 13:13 remaining into a 15-point lead a little over five minutes later. He then added an open 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:25 left to make it 59-46 and essentially seal it.

Aundre Hyatt chipped in 11 for Rutgers, which survived shooting 36.7 per cent and a quiet showing from Clifford Omoruyi. Omoruyi did not play the final 16:40 of the first half after picking up two fouls and compensated for being held to six points by making two key defensive plays down the stretch.

Miller Kopp scored 21 points for Indiana (7-1, 0-1) but the rest of the Hoosiers experienced frustrating showings against Rutgers' varied defenses. Indiana shot a dreadful 30.4 per cent and missed 19 of 25 3-point tries after shooting 55 per cent through the first seven games.

No. 1 Houston 53, Saint Mary's 48

J'Wan Roberts registered 15 points and eight rebounds and the Cougars remained unbeaten with a victory over the Gaels in the