Rutgers (2-0) outscored Saint Peter’s (0-3) 11-0 in the final four minutes of the contest to pull away and survive the scare, but it was a bit too close for comfort for much of the evening for the Scarlet Knights.

Freshman guard Dylan Harper's 24 points led No. 24 Rutgers to a tightly contested 75-65 win over Saint Peter's on Monday night in Piscataway, N.J. Lathan Sommerville scored 14 points

Dylan Harper scored 24 points and hit a go-ahead layup with 3:49 to play to lead No. 24 Rutgers to a much-harder-than expected 75-65 victory over New Jersey foe Saint Peter's on Monday night. The Scarlet Knights (2-0) had to overcame a five-point halftime deficit and twice had to rally in the final minutes after the Peacocks (0-3) wiped out a nine-point deficit and took one-point leads,

Early in the second half, which opened with Saint Peter’s ahead 42-37, it was Derkack who woke everyone up. After a Peacocks turnover he launched a spectacular skip pass to breaking teammate Jeremiah Williams for a transition layup.

No. 25 Rutgers will aim for another strong showing when it hosts Saint Peter's on Monday night in Piscataway, N.J. The Scarlet Knights (1-0) started the season with a 75-52

That is one of the main takeaways for Rutgers after it survived a scare from Saint Peter’s in a nail-biting 75-65 victory at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The No. 24 Scarlet Knights (2-0) had to fight tooth-and-nail to defeat the Peacocks (0-3) — who battled Seton Hall and UMass Lowell down to the wire last week and nearly derailed Rutgers’ dream season before it got off the ground — and they are better off for it.

Rutgers faced an early-season test against a well-coached and tough Saint Peter’s squad that was in search of a signature victory in-state. Trailing with just over four minutes left in the contest, 24th-ranked Rutgers had to dig deep and show off the qualities of a Steve Pikiell coached team on the defensive end of the floor.