Rutgers basketball, Lino Mark light up NJIT for 101 points

PISCATAWAY – It took Lino Mark about three seconds to go coast-to-coast for a layup Tuesday, weaving around defenders like they were standing still.

Rutgers basketball's much-improved sophomore guard put on a high-octane show against NJIT, leading the Scarlet Knights' 101-64 romp and entertaining the crowd of about 3,500 at Jersey Mike's Arena.

Mark tallied 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists while committing no turnovers in 21 minutes. He shot 5-of-9 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. His rebounding was as impressive as his ball-handling – at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, he's one of the smallest players on the court.

Rutgers (2-0) also got 17 points and six assist from senior guard Tariq Francis against his old program. The Scarlet Knights committed just six turnovers – a mere three before garbage time.

NJIT (1-2), which is a contender to win the America East Conference, was led by sophomore guard David Bolden (18 points, 3 assists).

For the second straight game, acting head coach Brandin Knight called on freshman center Mervedi Miteo and freshman wing Diego Garavaglia early.

Miteo checked in during the first timeout, replacing starting postman Christian Gurdak even though he was foul-less. The 6-foot-10, 270-pound Congo native, who played high school ball in Spain, attacked the boards like a beast (five rebounds, including three offensive boards, in 13 minutes). He also blocked two shots.

Miteo is only 17 years old but he already has a Big Ten frame and knows how to position it. Once he finds a finishing touch, look out.

Garavaglia, a 6-foot-7 Italian import, drilled a 3-pointer on the fast break, taking a pass from Francis and swishing it in stride from the right wing. He also grabbed four boards in 12 minutes.

Knight shortened his main rotation to 11 guys but did add sophomore guard Kaden Powers, who missed the New Haven game due to illness. Sophomore forward Will Sydnor was relegated to garbage time late in the second half but made the most of it, tallying 10 points in just six minutes.

The 6-foot-8 transfer from Manhattan, who was sidelined all summer and early fall with a high ankle sprain, made brief appearances in the exhibition against St. John's and the opener against New Haven and didn't produce much either time.

Sydnor's progress is notable because after averaging 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds as a freshman at Manhattan, he was projected to fill a big role in the Scarlet Knights' somewhat thin frontcourt.

After drawing a charge in the opener, the junior walk-on grabbed a rebound, got fouled and made two free throws in the final minute. That provoked the biggest roar of the night from the student section. Fradkin is the program's lone walk-on and a holdover from last season.

The Highlanders were 48 hours removed from beating Saint Peter's on a halfcourt buzzer-beater by redshirt freshman guard Brandon Stores, and after Rutgers will board a bus and head south to Richmond for a Wednesday night game at Atlantic 10 powerhouse VCU.

You read that correctly – NJIT has back-to-back nights on the road, 300 miles apart. That's just about unheard of, but it's the only windows those games could be scheduled and that's valuable revenue for the Highlanders. It's buy-game living, on steroids.

The warm-up portion of Rutgers' schedule concludes with a visit from Bryant (1-2) Friday at 6 p.m. Bryant was picked to finish fifth the America East Conference's preseason poll – one spot behind NJIT. Then it gets real with a trip to Las Vegas and a date with eighth-ranked Houston.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com .