PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- It was a game coach John Beilein wanted. So did his players. The West Virginia basketball team had been embarrassed last month by Rutgers in a 21-point loss at Louis Brown Athletic Center, where the Scarlet Knights almost never lose, and the Mountaineers didn't want a repeat. "We were ready to play this game," West Virginia guard Patrick Beilein said. But the teams repeated the outcome, nonetheless, Monday night, as Rutgers, this time, squeezed past West Virginia, 67-64, in a second-round National Invitation Tournament game before 5,626, ending the Mountaineers' record at 17-14. It was in complete contrast to West Virginia's uninspired 74-53 regular-season loss Feb. 25. "We showed them we weren't the same team that came in here a month ago," said West Virginia center D'or Fischer, who led the Mountaineers with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 6 blocks. The 6-foot-11 sophomore, in his first season with West Virginia after transferring from Northwestern State (La.), finished with a flurry, recording 15 blocks in the final two games, including a school-record nine in a 79-72 victory over Rhode Island on Friday at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, W.Va. "Rutgers only has two losses this season -- to UConn and to a great Seton Hall team that just beat Arizona (in the NCAA Tournament)," he said. "We gave them all they could handle." "We played them pretty much even, but they played great. They made tough shots," Beilein added. It was Beilein, who had a chance to tie the score just before the final buzzer. But his off-balance 3-point shot, with Rutgers' Marquis Webb draped on him, was off the mark as he went flying into a table. Rutgers (18-12) moves on to meet its second consecutive Big East opponent in the quarterfinals Wednesday against Villanova (18-16) at a site not immediately determined. "It was great for us to play this far into March," West Virginia coach John Beilein said. "But Rutgers has a heck of a team. We had no defense for Ricky Shields. The Scarlet Knights guard scored a game-high 26 points, but it was Adrian Hill's two free throws with 36.4 seconds remaining that put Rutgers up by four (66-62) and forced West Virginia into near-panic mode. Shields shot 8 for 11, including 5 fot 6 from 3-point range and was joined in double figures for Rutgers by freshman Quincy Douby (15 points) and Herve Lamizana (11). Patrick Beilein and Tyrone Salley added 10 points each for West Virginia, which shot 11 for 20 from 3-point range, including 7 for 11 in the first half, when the teams played to a 32-32 draw. Rutgers pulled away from the halftime deadlock early in the second half, using its superior quickness to build a 10-point lead four minutes in. But the Scarlet Knights couldn't hold that lead and allowed West Virginia to chip away. The Mountaineers went inside to Fischer, who continually made his way to the free-throw line and kept West Virginia in the game, hitting 7 of 9 attempts in the second half. They got back even on a layup by Sally off a crisp feed from Tyler Relph to make it 54-54 with 7:44 to go. It was West Virginia's final field goal until Jarmon Durisseau-Collins' 3-point shot from the top of the key tied it 61-61 with 1:45 remaining after Rutgers went up by three points on 1 of 2 free throws and an ensuing layup by Shields inside four minutes. Douby's long three from the left wing put Rutgers back on top 64-61 with 1:11 left before West Virginia worked for a shot, calling timeout along the way. The Mountaineers' Joe Herbert was fouled by Webb with 36.1 seconds left on the play clock and 3 seconds remaining on the shot clock. Herbert hit 1 of 2 free throws and West Virginia immediately fouled Hill, who sank both free throws for the 66-62 Rutgers lead.

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