Adam Grant's contested 3-pointer from the right corner rimmed out just before time expired Thursday night, enabling Rutgers to hold off Bryant's upset bid and win 73-71 in the Scarlet Knights' season opener at Piscataway, N.J.

Montez Mathis and Ron Harper Jr. each scored 11 points to lead the balanced Scarlet Knights, who owned a 16-point, second-half lead but needed two defensive stops on the Bulldogs' final possession to avoid an embarrassing loss.

Bryant's Hall Elisias had a layup attempt blocked, but Elisias grabbed the offensive board before Rutgers knocked the ball out of bounds with 4.7 seconds remaining.

After a timeout, Grant squeezed off a well-guarded 23-footer that didn't drop, and Geo Baker pulled down the rebound as the clock hit zeros.

The Scarlet Knights won despite making only 37.7 percent of their field-goal tries and missing 14 of 32 free throws.

Grant enjoyed a stellar game in defeat for Bryant (0-2), scoring 23 points, grabbing six rebounds and doling out six assists. Charles Pride came off the bench to tally 19 points and haul in seven boards, and Michael Green added 11 points and seven assists.

The Bulldogs outscored Rutgers 39-9 from the 3-point line, hitting 13 of 35 attempts.

Rutgers looked very much like a team playing its first game of the season during the first 5:38, when it missed 12 of its first 13 shots from the field and trailed 10-5 after Pride converted a short jumper from the right wing.

The Scarlet Knights finally found some footing with the insertion of freshman Paul Mulcahy and junior Jacob Young. They helped Rutgers get on an 11-2 run that Mulcahy finished with a three-point play for a 16-12 lead at the 10:32 mark.

The margin reached 12 with 3:09 left in the half on a put-back by Mathis, and although the Bulldogs responded with a 10-2 burst, Rutgers still took a 38-30 lead to halftime after Harper canned a free throw with 1.6 seconds left.

--Field Level Media