Francis, second-half defense powers Rutgers to Big Ten Tournament win

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (14-18, 7-14) defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-17, 7-14) by a score of 72-67 in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. Both teams received first-round byes due their respective seeding in the conference standings. The Scarlet Knights captured their first victory in the Big Ten Tournament since 2023.

Tariq Francis lead the way for the Scarlet Knights, scoring a Rutgers Big Ten Tournament-record 29 points. He shot 9-of-16 from the floor, and hit a season-high five three-pointers. Emmanuel Ogbole had his best performance in conference play, scoring 10 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and coming up with three blocks. Jamichael Davis and Darren Buchanan Jr. had great all-around performances, and Harun Zrno put in a pair of second half triples.

Cade Tyson scored 24 points on just 13 shots for the Gophers. Bobby Durkin had 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists, while connecting on four three-pointers. Grayson Grove had a strong first half, but was not a factor in the second half, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Langston Reynolds stuffed the stat sheet with six points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Issac Asuma added nine points.

Francis, Ogbole keep Scarlet Knights in touch

Rutgers built a quick five-point lead thanks to a trio of buckets inside by Emmanuel Ogbole. Tariq Francis connected on his first shot from three-point range, and put in a midrange jumper for his first five points of the night.

After a triple from Jamichael Davis gave the Scarlet Knights a 16-13 lead, Rutgers went scoreless for the next five minutes. Darren Buchanan picked up a pair of early fouls, forcing him to leave the game. Coinciding with his absence, Minnesota switched to a predominantly zone defense to cut off the water for the Scarlet Knights.

Almost three minutes after a three-pointer from Bobby Durkin gave the Gophers their first lead of the night, Francis ended the drought with a three of his own. Durkin connected on another triple, and Cade Tyson rocked the rim to give Minnesota their then-largest lead, at four.

Francis put in his third three-pointer in as many tries to keep the Scarlet Knights in touch. With the shot clock winding down on the ensuing possession, he hit a tough fall away jumper. He would remain hot, putting in his fourth triple from the deep wing to recapture the lead for the Scarlet Knights.

Grayson Grove did it all for Minnesota in the first half, tallying 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists. His jump hook gave the Gophers a 31-29 lead heading into the break. Francis and Ogbole combined for 24 of the Scarlet Knights’ 29 first half points.

Early second half sequence

Tyson hit a rainbow three-pointer over two defenders at the end of the shot clock to open up the scoring in the second half. The challenging shot gave Minnesota their largest lead of the game at five points. Francis converted on a pair of free throws to give Rutgers their first makes at the line in over 21 minutes of game action.

The Scarlet Knights started to work in some full court pressure and zone defense in an attempt to combat the Gophers offense. It paid dividends immediately for Rutgers.

Lino Mark found Francis for his fifth three-pointer, following a block from Dylan Grant. After a Buchanan layup tied the game, Ogbole came up with a block of his own, and Grant put in a reverse layup to give the Scarlet Knights the lead.

Rutgers counters a flurry of threes, defense spurs run

Both teams began to trade three-pointers, as the game saw six consecutive makes from deep. Harun Zrno connected from the wing twice for Rutgers, and Durkin put in his third and fourth makes of the night for Minnesota. Kai Shinholster put in one from the corner for the Gophers, and Davis hit from the deep wing during the three-minute stretch.

Tyson ended the streak of triples with an and-one layup to recapture the lead for Minnesota. The scoring would slow down, and the Gophers pushed the lead back to five with 10 minutes to play.

The Scarlet Knights forced turnovers on six straight possessions, and it resulted in a run on the other end. Davis hit his third three-pointer to retake the lead, at 54-52. Francis stepped in and hit a midrange to give Rutgers their largest lead at six, capping off an 11-0 run.

Francis put in yet another midrange jumper to build a seven point lead for Rutgers, giving him a game-high 27 points. Davis made a critical play late, coming up with a long offensive rebound and calling a timeout following his own miss. He would get fouled after the inbound and keep the lead at seven with two free throws.

Ogbole capped off his best Big Ten performance of the season with a thunderous block, and Francis made a pair of free throws to seal the victory.

Next up

Rutgers will advance to play the UCLA Bruins in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament. The game will tip-off at 9:00 PM EST, barring a delay, and be televised on BTN.