Rutgers used a 16-1 second half run to rout Sacred Heart 91-75 at home on Thursday.

Six Scarlet Knights scored in double figures, helping to turn a 38-38 tie with 17 minutes left into a commanding lead less than five minutes later. The balanced effort was surely appreciated by coach Mike Rice, who labeled his guards as “soft” after a 15-point road loss to Miami earlier in the week.

Several of those guards were part of the Scarlet Knights’ most heralded recruiting class. All that talent, though, has turned into rising expectations for the first time in a long time for Rutgers (2-1). All-freshman backcourt Eli Carter and Miles Mack showed flashes of why the Scarlet Knights could contend for an NCAA berth this season, bolting by backcourt pressure to feed players in the post where Rutgers held a distinct height advantage over Sacred Heart (2-1). The high-percentage shots, coupled with more than 10 forced turnovers in each half helped the Scarlet Knights erase that lazy effort against the Hurricanes earlier this week.