Rutgers dominates in 78-56 win over No. 11 Wisconsin

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Jeremiah Williams scored 18 points in his first home game of the season and Rutgers used a stifling defense to lead the entire game and hand No. 11 Wisconsin its fourth straight loss 78-56 on Saturday.

Noah Fernandes contributed 17 points and Clifford Omoruyi added 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights (13-10, 5-7 Big Ten), who won a third straight game.

The 22-point victory was the largest margin of victory for Rutgers over a ranked opponent in program history.

Connor Essegian and AJ Storr scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, for Wisconsin (16-8, 8-5). The Badgers never got within single digits in the second half.

Williams had not played a college basketball game in nearly two years (709 days) prior to being activated before Rutgers’ game at Michigan on Feb. 3. The Iowa State transfer endured a season-ending Achilles injury last year and then had to sit out 20 games this season for violating the NCAA’s gambling policy.