Rutgers wrapped up its regular season with a dramatic 75-67 overtime win over Minnesota at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
It wasn’t always pretty, but the Scarlet Knights found a way to close out Senior Day with a much-needed victory before heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
After back-to-back losses, including a brutal performance at Purdue, Steve Pikiell’s squad responded with toughness.
The Scarlet Knights improved to 15-16 overall and 8-12 in conference play, but they’ll need a miracle run in the Big Ten Tournament to extend their season beyond Indianapolis.
Rutgers built a solid 38-29 halftime lead and extended it to 11 early in the second half, but Minnesota refused to go quietly.
The Golden Gophers clawed back, setting up a frantic final minute of regulation.
Freshman star Dylan Harper put Rutgers up by two with 23 seconds left, though Minnesota’s Dawson Garcia answered with a clutch jumper to tie the game at 61.
Harper had a chance to win it at the buzzer but turned the ball over, forcing overtime.
Harper, who finished with 22 points, took control in the extra session, scoring six crucial points to help Rutgers outscore Minnesota 14-6 in overtime.
Ace Bailey struggled offensively (6 points on 3-of-11 shooting) but contributed nine rebounds, while Dylan Grant added 12 points on a perfect shooting night.
Minnesota’s shooting woes played right into Rutgers’ hands.
The Gophers shot just 2-for-16 from three and 13-for-23 from the free-throw line.
Despite some tense moments, Rutgers found a way to gut it out and head into the postseason on a high note.
Rutgers enters the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 11 seed and will face No. 14 USC on Wednesday night.
The Scarlet Knights already took down the Trojans 95-85 earlier this season, but they’ll need another strong performance to keep their season alive.
A win would set up a Thursday showdown with No. 6 Purdue.
