PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Tariq Francis scored 20 points in his Rutgers debut, Dylan Grant added 17 points and the Scarlet Knights used a big second half to beat Rider 81-53 on Wednesday night.

Jamichael Davis added 15 points and Darren Buchanan Jr., who redshirted his first season at Virginia Tech last year, scored 11 off the bench for Rutgers (1-0). Emmanuel Ogbole grabbed 10 rebounds. Francis, who averaged 17 points in 54 career games at NJIT, was 6 of 10 from the field with four of Rutgers' 10 3-pointers.

Davis, Ogbole, Grant and Bryce Dortch are the only returning scholarship players for Rutgers.

Caleb Smith had 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead Rider (0-2), which dropped its opener Monday night at Virginia. Zion Cruz, the leading returning scorer for Rider at 10.1 points per game, added

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