Rutgers (2-0) outscored Saint Peter’s (0-3) 11-0 in the final four minutes of the contest to pull away and survive the scare, but it was a bit too close for comfort for much of the evening for the Scarlet Knights.

Freshman guard Dylan Harper's 24 points led No. 24 Rutgers to a tightly contested 75-65 win over Saint Peter's on Monday night in Piscataway, N.J. Lathan Sommerville scored 14 points

No. 25 Rutgers will aim for another strong showing when it hosts Saint Peter's on Monday night in Piscataway, N.J. The Scarlet Knights (1-0) started the season with a 75-52

That is one of the main takeaways for Rutgers after it survived a scare from Saint Peter’s in a nail-biting 75-65 victory at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The No. 24 Scarlet Knights (2-0) had to fight tooth-and-nail to defeat the Peacocks (0-3) — who battled Seton Hall and UMass Lowell down to the wire last week and nearly derailed Rutgers’ dream season before it got off the ground — and they are better off for it.

Rutgers faced an early-season test against a well-coached and tough Saint Peter’s squad that was in search of a signature victory in-state. Trailing with just over four minutes left in the contest, 24th-ranked Rutgers had to dig deep and show off the qualities of a Steve Pikiell coached team on the defensive end of the floor.