Chicago, IL— Guard Tariq Francis delivered a standout scoring performance Wednesday night, leading Rutgers to a 72–67 victory over Minnesota in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
The 14th-seeded Scarlet Knights used a strong finish to overcome a halftime deficit and advance in the tournament. Rutgers improved to 14-18 on the season and will face sixth-seeded UCLA in the next round.
Francis powered the offense with 29 points, shooting 9-of-16 from the field and knocking down five shots from beyond the arc. Jamichael Davis added 13 points and six assists, while Emmanuel Ogbole contributed 10 points and seven rebounds to support the victory.
Rutgers seized control midway through the second half. Davis buried a three-pointer with 6:47 remaining to give the Scarlet Knights a lead they would not surrender.
That basket sparked a decisive 17–5 run, pushing Rutgers ahead 64–57 with under two minutes left. Ogbole punctuated the surge with a dunk, and Rutgers calmly closed out the game by converting all eight of its free throws down the stretch.
The Scarlet Knights also made history from long range, hitting 10 three-pointers — the most the program has made in a conference tournament game. Harun Zrno added two of those triples as Rutgers’ perimeter shooting proved crucial.
Minnesota stayed competitive throughout the night behind a strong performance from Cade Tyson, who finished with 24 points, including 18 in the second half. Bobby Durkin chipped in 15 points and Grayson Grove added 10 for the Golden Gophers.
The Gophers held a narrow 31–29 lead at halftime after shooting 52 percent in the opening half, with Grove scoring all 10 of his points before the break. Francis kept Rutgers close with 16 first-half points and four three-pointers.
Minnesota had defeated Rutgers 80–61 earlier in the regular season, but the Scarlet Knights reversed the result when it mattered most in the postseason.
Up Next: Rutgers advances to face No. 6 seed UCLA on Thursday in the next round of the Big Ten Tournament.
