Freshman Myles Mack scored a career-high 20 points and Rutgers snapped a two-game losing streak with a 94-56 win over the Maryland-Baltimore County Monday night.
Gilvydas Biruta and Mike Poole had 13 points apiece and Eli Carter 12 for the Scarlet Knights (4-3), who are 4-0 at home.
Chase Plummer and Ryan Cook scored 11 each for the Retrievers (0-6), who lost Chris De La Rosa earlier in the day when the senior guard left the team for personal and family-related matters.
Mack made 7 of 9 shots after going 6 for 23 (26.1 percent) in the last three games, including 0 of 6 in Rutgers' last game, a 58-53 loss to Richmond in Cancun, Mexico.
Leading by five points, Rutgers scored nine straight to open a 28-14 advantage. The Retrievers got within 28-18 before Rutgers broke it open with an 18-6 run over the final 4:30 of the half.
Mack, who scored 15 of his points in the first half on 5-of-6 shooting, started the decisive run with a 3-pointer. He collected nine points, two assists and a steal in the outburst, which gave the Scarlet Knights a 46-24 lead at the break.
Rutgers shot 55.7 percent (34 of 61) in its highest scoring output since a 94-56 win over Division II St. Thomas Aquinas in December 2005. It was the Knights' most points against a Division I opponent since a 95-82 win over Notre Dame in March 2002.
Coach Mike Rice shook up his starting lineup, giving Poole and freshman Jerome Seagears their first starts of the season in place of Dana Miller and Carter. Seagears responded with seven points and 10 rebounds.
The Knights never trailed, but started sluggishly and led only 19-14 with 10:40 left in the half. A bucket by Austin Johnson ignited a 9-0 burst and Rutgers continued to build the lead. Its largest advantage was 91-46.
After averaging 15.5 points and 6 assists per game for UMBC last year, De La Rosa played just one game this season after surgery on his right foot in May, but had 17 points and 10 assists at VMI on Nov. 19.
