Walking to their seats at Jersey Mike’s Arena, a father and his young son passed the Rutgers team’s concourse merchandise store. The kid was no older than seven and could barely see over the counter, but he had his eyes on a SLAM Magazine cover t-shirt shared by Scarlet Knights stars Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper: “I want it!”

In Section 115, Park Ridge High School friends Michael Weinstein, Giancarlo Cerra and Sam Sasola all had different outfits: a Bailey shirt, a Harper shirt — $120 each — and that $45 SLAM shirt. It was their first Rutgers basketball game, and the Bergen County trio all came for the same reason as many of the other 8,000 people crammed into the old barn, including one elderly fan — no younger than 60 — who looked toward his usher and exclaimed :

“Ace is playing today!”

The five-star phenom gave these long-suffering fans what they came to see.

Bailey was among the best players on the floor in a 98-81 win over Monmouth (0-4), leading an offensive explosion from Rutgers (3-0) with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting, six rebounds , two steals, a block in 30 minutes. Bailey hit a 3-pointer on the first play of the game, threw down vicious baseline dunks out of bounds and hit difficult mid-range shots in transition that few former Scarlet Knights could even dream of attempting, let alone making.

None was more impressive than the sequence midway through the first half, when Bailey caught a pass with five seconds left on the shot clock and the Scarlet Knights’ offense went nowhere. With a defender draped over him, he dribbled to the right, crossed over to the left, then dribbled one last time before spinning and firing a fadeaway with a second left, the ball sweeping through the net as the shot clock struck zero.

His day ended early when he went to the locker room with two minutes left to play.

Bailey was one of four Rutgers players to finish in double figures in one of the best offensive displays the Scarlet Knights (3-0) have had in a long time. They were led by Harper, who finished with 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting, six assists, five rebounds and two blocks in 30 minutes. The Don Bosco Prep product got to the rim consistently (4-of-5 on layups), went 2-of-3 on threes and created multiple opportunities for teammates.

Merrimack transfer Jordan Derkack (6 points, nine assists, six rebounds) was as productive as a playmaker, freshman center Lathan Sommerville (10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds, two blocks) had another solid game inside and Princeton transfer Zach Martini (18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, three rebounds) was the most efficient player on the floor.

As a team, Rutgers shot 55% on threes (11 of 20), 12 of 19 on layups (63.2%) and 78.1% on free throws (25 of 32).

While Monmouth (0-4) stayed within two possessions in the first eight minutes, Rutgers pulled ahead with an 11-0 run to take a 16-point lead with nine minutes to play in the first half. The Scarlet Knights kept the Hawks at arm’s length from there, building a lead as high as 24 points and withstanding a late 15-6 run that brought the visitors within 11 points with five minutes to play.

The Hawks were led by guard Abdi Bashir Jr., who finished with 38 points on 11-of-23 shooting (10-of-17 on threes).

By halftime, Rutgers had a comfortable 17-point lead — and a team store bleacher had sold out of all its Bailey jerseys.

With the win, Rutgers improves to 10-1 all-time against Monmouth. The Scarlet Knights return to action on Wednesday, when they host Merrimack.

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Brian Fonseca can be reached at [email protected].