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Welcome back, Geo Baker.
The Rutgers hoops star had missed the last three games because of a broken thumb, but returned to the floor on Wednesday night, as the Scarlet Knights hosted Indiana in a B1G clash in the RAC. And while his final stat line wasn’t overly impressive, he did have the play of the night.
With just over two minutes left in the game and Rutgers holding a 51-41 lead, Baker sliced up the defense on his way to the basket and powered home a monstrous dunk to give the Scarlet Knights a 12-point advantage late in the game. The crowd erupted after the slam, Indiana called timeout and the game was essentially over.
It was one heck of a welcome back moment for the team captain:
.@Geo_Baker_1 just sent the Hoosiers home. 😱
Can you believe the @RutgersMBB star just came back from a thumb injury? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/puc1l2hlQf
— Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) January 16, 2020
Baker took just seven shots in the game, making two buckets from the floor. He finished the game with seven points, four rebounds and four assists in his return.
But it was the dunk that everyone will remember from this game.
Rutgers went on to defeat Indiana 59-50, thanks to double-figure nights from Akwasi Yeboah (14 points) and Caleb McConnell (10 points). With the win, the Scarlet Knights improved to 13-4 on the season with a 4-2 mark in B1G play. They’re also 12-0 at the RAC.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB