NEU » ng, and the ball defl

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell got exactly the kind of performance he insists on from his reserves.Ive never been a starter guy, Pikiell said after Rutgers defeated Niagara 78-65 on Sunday in the Scarlet Knight Showcase. I like the finishers. Thats important to me. The way I coach, you gotta be ready.Nigel Johnson led the reserves, equaling a career high with 20 points in helping Rutgers go 4-0 for the first time since the 2000-01 season. The Knights bench outscored Niagara 42-3.Other non-starter contributors were Mike Williams (12 points), CJ Gettys (eight points and eight rebounds), Eugene Omoruyi (six points, four rebounds and two assists) and Candido Sanders (four blocks).With Rutgers trailing 42-41, Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 14:32 remaining for the third and final lead change. The Knights scored 16 straight for a 57-42 lead, and opened their biggest advantage at 70-51.After we went on that run we created a little distance in our lead, Johnson said. I felt like we did a good job closing the game and that was what we were focused on.Matt Scott had 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Purple Eagles, who are 0-4 for the first time since starting with six straight losses in the 1989-90 season. Kahlil Dukes had 12 points and Marvin Prochet 11.If youre around (Scott) every day, you just watch how hes blossoming, Niagara coach Chris Casey said. Its fun to watch. Hes blossoming as a player, as a person, as a student. His work ethic is off the charts.BIG PICTURENiagara: The Purple Eagles held a 65-44 advantage in bench points in the first three games. The Eagles blocked nine shots, which equaled their combined total in the first three games.Rutgers: Pikiell became the first Scarlet Knights mens coach to begin his tenure 4-0 and Rutgers defense has been a major reason. Rutgers has allowed an average of 61.7 points per game and opponents are shooting 36.3 percent (84 of 231) against the Knights. Rutgers blocked 11 Purple Eagles shots. Rutgers has won four straight for the first time since 2012-13 when it won five in a row in December.PURPLE POSITIVESCollins felt his young team did some things out of character during Rutgers decisive run, but was still happy with the way it continues to battle. I thought our guys competed extremely hard, I thought we did some very good things in the game, and weve got to use this to build on, move forward onto the next game.DOWNPLAYING STARTEntering Sundays game, the record of Rutgers first four opponents was a combined 2-9. To Pikiells credit, he is not getting carried away with his start. Asked the significance of 4-0, the coach said Nothing. We have to start working for the next game, these guys know we have a long week ahead of us.TECHNICALITIESThere were four technical fouls called, three on Rutgers with two of them on point guard Corey Sanders, who was ejected with 7:01 left.WELCOME TO NJThe Purple Hawks made their first appearance at Rutgers. Niagara won the only other meeting between the two, 73-61, on Dec. 18, 1969.UP NEXTNiagara: After three straight on the road, the Purple Eagles have their first home game since opening-night when they host Drexel on Wednesday.Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights host North Texas Wednesday and will attempt to start 5-0 for the first time since 2000-01, when they opened the season with six straight home games. Dwayne Haskins Redskins Jersey .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. John Riggins Redskins Jersey . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. https://www.redskinssportsgoods.com/Womens-Daron-Payne-Inverted-Jersey/ . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. Sam Huff Jersey . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Darrell Green Jersey . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup.PITTSBURGH -- Major League Baseball came down hard on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, handing out eight suspensions and a dozen fines as punishment for a bench-clearing brawl. Yet even with Arizona pitcher Ian Kennedy getting 10 games and infielder Eric Hinske five for their roles in Tuesdays fight, it might not be enough to quell the lingering hostility between the NL West rivals. "No, its not over yet, not at all," said Dodgers reliever Ronald Belisario, given a one-game ban. "I dont think anybody thinks its over." Kennedys suspension is the longest handled out by the league for on-field conduct since Chicago Cubs catcher Michael Barrett was handed a 10-game suspension for an incident with White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski on May 20, 2006. Kennedy is appealing the decision, pointing to his track record as proof hes not a troublemaker. "Ten games, I think theyre trying to set an example," he said before Arizonas game in San Diego on Friday night. Hinske is also appealing and put most of the blame on Dodger rookie Yaisel Puig, who was right in the middle of things but only received a fine. "Ive been a model citizen in this league for 12 years," Hinske said. "And then theres Puig, whos been in the league for 12 days and he gets no games. So you tell me whats right." Belisario served a one-game suspension on Friday night for "aggressive actions" while Dodgers reliever J.P. Howell and infielder Skip Schumaker appealed the two-game suspensions they received from MLB Senior Vice-President Joe Garagiola Jr. Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly and Arizonas Kirk Gibson were given one-game bans, while Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire must sit two games. Bench coach Trey Hillman filled in for Mattingly on Friday night when Los Angeles played at Pittsburgh while Arizona bench coach Alan Trammell took over for Gibson in San Diego. Garagiola cited Kennedy for intentionally throwing a pitch at the head of Zack Greinke after a warning had been issued and Hinske for leaving the dugout and his "aggressive actions." Mattingly was penalized for his conduct and Gibson for Kennedys actions following a warning. While Kennedy feels singled out, Mattingly disagrees. "To me (Kennedy) seemed like he was kind of the instigator and started it and piled on and he got the most," Mattingly said. "It just seems fair." Mattingly sseemed a bit puzzled by Schumakers penalty, saying he felt if the veteran infielder "had his hands on anybody, he was pulling people off.dddddddddddd" Schumaker declined to talk about the suspension, saying only he has feelings about it but didnt want to share them. All eight handed suspensions were also fined, as were Puig, Greinke, Arizona catcher Miguel Montero and Diamondbacks outfielder Gerardo Parra. MLB fined the Dodgers for allowing players on the disabled list to leave the dugout and enter the field during the brawl. MLB also banned disable list players on the Dodgers and Diamondbacks from sitting in their dugouts through Sunday. The players appealing the ruling will be able to play until after hearings and final decisions. Kennedy hit Puig with a pitch that deflected off his back to his nose in the sixth, and Greinke hit Montero on the back in the seventh, drawing a warning from umpires. Both teams charged onto the field, but the scrum broke up quickly with no punches thrown. Kennedy then hit Greinke on the upper left shoulder in the bottom half of the inning, and the ball deflected off his helmet. A prolonged and more heated scuffle ensued against a railing on the first base side. Montero, joked that he kept getting hit at the bottom of the pile but "obviously they are probably my teammates that were punching me because were the only ones who got suspended" but isnt sure why Greinke was spared a suspension. "Ian got 10 days and Zack got zero days when he admitted that he hit me on purpose, seriously?" Montero said. "We just give him a fine because he was already seven weeks out. Well, he can miss one more. Cmon. Give me a break with that." Kennedy, Gibson and Diamondbacks coach Turner Ward were ejected after the shoving match. Puig, McGwire and Dodgers reliever Ronald Belisario also were tossed. Mattingly had to be restrained as he tried to get at Gibson, and they exchanged words briefly. McGwire and third base coach Matt Williams grabbed each others shirts in a tense standoff and shouted at each other. Mattingly said he was only playing "peacekeeper" and understands the fight will likely have some carryover effect, even if it is only in the media. "Theres no way for us to go to Arizona now without us having to talk about it," he said. "Theres going to be an effort to keep it alive and it wont be by the players or us." ' ' '