Central Plains FFA Chapter

12/29 20:24 CST Grant's double-double, Francis' 19 points lead Rutgers past Delaware State 65-50 Grant's double-double, Francis' 19 points lead Rutgers past Delaware State 65-50 PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) --- Dylan Grant posted a double-double and Tariq Francis scored 19 points as Rutgers beat Delaware State 65-50 on Monday night. Grant had 18 points and 12 rebounds to go with three steals for the Scarlet Knights (7-6). He was 5 of 12 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. Francis, who was coming off a career-high 34 points and a game-winner against Pennsylvania on December 20, was 7 of 7 at the foul line with three steals. Emmanuel Ogbole had 12 rebounds. Miles Webb led the Hornets (5-10) with 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting and eight rebounds. Ponce James added 11 points. The Scarlet Knights out-rebounded the Hornets 52-28, leading to a 27-7 advantage on second-chance points. They also made 24 free throws to the Hornets' 11. The Scarlet Knights took a 31-24 lead into the break, closing on a 14-7 run. They got 12 first-half points from Grant and 11 from Francis and never lost the lead after taking it 7:36 into the game. They used a 14-4 run in the second half to help build a 20-point lead. This was Rutgers' final non-conference game before embarking on a 16-game Big Ten slate.

Up next Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights host Ohio State on Friday. Delaware State: The Hornets host Coppin State on Saturday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball