Dylan Harper Stats Tonight: How did Rutgers star fare vs Purdue (Mar. 4)

Dylan Harper picked 13 points, one rebound, two assists, one steal and one block in Rutgers' (14-16, 7-12) 100-71 loss to No. 18 Purdue (21-9, 13-6) on Tuesday night at the Mackey Arena.

The 6-foot-6 guard made 5-of-9 shots, including 3-of-5 from the 3-point line in 24 minutes for the Scarlet Knights, who failed to sustain an early eight-point edge, as they fell to a barrage of triples from Boilermakers' stars Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith.

Harper scored his first two points on a jumper that tied the game at seven apiece and assisted to Zach Martini, who made a 3-pointer that gave Rutgers a 19-14 lead. The freshman buried his triple with 10:13 left in the first half, handing the Scarlet Knights a 27-19 advantage.

That was the last time Rutgers had the lead as Purdue blitzed its Big Ten rival with a 21-7 surge, giving the Boilermakers a 40-34 lead. Smith buried three triples and Loyer made one during that stretch.

He had another assist to Jeremiah Williams that reduced the deficit to 40-36 with 4:28 left. The young star made a triple that cut Purdue's advantage to 50-41 at the half.

That was the last time Rutgers was in striking distance as the Boilermakers stormed to a 50-30 surge in the second half that gave the victory for the Matt Painter-coached team. Harper had five points in the second half on a layup and a 3-pointer as Rutgers lost for the fifth time in its last seven games.

Here are Dylan Harper's final stats in the Scarlet Knights' loss to Purdue Boilermakers:

Player	MP	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG	3-PT	FT	TO	PF
Dylan Harper	24	13	1	2	1	1	5-9	3-5	0-0	1	3

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Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey reach 500 points in first season with Rutgers

Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey achieved a Big Ten Conference first for a freshman duo since 1992. The Rutgers duo were the first freshman pair in the conference to score 500 points each in their freshman year in 33 years.

The last time first-year players achieved that feat was in the 1991-92 season when then-Michigan freshmen Chris Webber and Jalen Rose scored 528 and 597 points, respectively. Both had amazing decade-long careers in the NBA that Harper and Bailey hope to achieve in the coming years when they step into the pro ranks, possibly in the 2025-26 NBA season.

As of March 4, Dylan Harper has amassed 515 points while Ace Bailey, who finished with 12 points in the loss to Purdue, has scored 504 overall.

Bailey had three 30-point games, including a career-high 39 points in an 84-74 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers on Jan. 2. Harper, meanwhile, put up a career-best 37 in the Scarlet Knights' 95-90 loss to Alabama on Nov. 27, 2024.

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