PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Kieran Mullins and his Scarlet Knights weren’t going to take their first home loss lying down.

It took until 10:58 in the third quarter for Michigan to get on the scoreboard, as a dominant defensive effort from Rutgers gave the ninth-ranked Scarlet Knights their first Big Ten win, a 16-8 triumph over the 17th-ranked Wolverines. It was the rebound Rutgers was looking for after a home loss to Johns Hopkins a week ago snapped its three-game winning streak.

“Obviously, it was a big day for us here,” Scarlet Knights coach Brian Brecht said. “We were honoring 14 seniors. This was a good conference win. We were very focused in practice this week with our preparation. We did things the right way today. Collectively as a whole, these seniors from top to bottom have been instrumental in our successes."

Mullins, a sophomore, scored a career-high eight goals, and it was evident from his and his teammate’s energy that the Knights were looking to respond from a heartbreaking 13-12 defeat against the Blue Jays.

Senior Connor Vercryusse also netted four goals, while Jules Heningburg added five assists in an offensive onslaught.

Heningburg also provided the highlight goal of the game, scoring after an impressive sequence of fakes.

Wow. @RUmlax's Jules Heningburg's got moves. @NCAALAX @Tewaaraton pic.twitter.com/hRCmFGF3re

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) April 8, 2018

“I’m very proud of all the guys,” Brecht said. “There’s guys here today that have put a lot of hard work into this program, and we want to celebrate that today. They’ll be focused next week with the momentum we have.”

Brecht hit a milestone as well, winning his 50th game with the program.

But for him, and the rest of the Scarlet Knights, it was just one win in one of the toughest conferences in college lacrosse.

Rutgers was rolling from the get-go, but did the most damage in the second quarter. Mullins scored two goals eight seconds apart late in the frame to take control for the Scarlet Knights en route to his four-goal half.

A chippy contest from the start, both teams came in battling for their first conference victory. The Scarlet Knights put themselves in a good spot, now 1-1 in Big Ten play. As long as they get into the Big Ten tournament, they likely have a good shot at an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament

The transition offense was a focal point Saturday, with Mullins’ tally highlighting the fast-break unit for the Scarlet Knights.

"Kieran has been great for us," Brecht said. "He's such a strong competitor and a great teammate. He's someone that really has helped us get to this level."

Mullins is second on the team in points and has become the team’s go-to option on offense, especially in transition.

“It’s nice to have guys step up from roles last year,” Brecht said of his underclassmen, including Mullins. “The young guys we have now learned from the leadership of the seniors on and off the field. It’s helped our balance and depth of the program.”

Goalie Max Edelman, who hit the 100-save mark on the season, kept the Knights ahead with six saves in the opening frame while the offense found its groove. After he made 10 saves in the opening half, the Scarlet Knights controlled possession for much of the third quarter, keeping the ball away from his end.

At one point in the third, the Scarlet Knights led 10-0 in an offensive clinic. When the transition was stalled, attackers had no problem getting in front of the crease, where Mullins worked his magic all day.

After missing out on the postseason a year ago, Rutgers is looking to make a statement that makes it impossible to ignore. Wins like Saturday’s, in which the Scarlet Knights won by their largest margin ever in a conference game, against a top-20 team certainly begins to send that message.

Still, the dominant showing is just step one in Rutgers’ Big Ten mission.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Scarlet Knights, with a date at No. 2 Maryland next week before returning home to face No. 18 Penn State. But if they play the way they did Saturday, they can play with anyone.

On a day where the seniors were the focus, Brecht wasn’t quite ready to think ahead to postseason implications.

“These seniors and captains, their work on and off the field are a big reason we are a top-10 program,” he said. “I certainly thank them for everything, and we have a lot of lacrosse left.”