Tariq Francis’ heroic effort powers Rutgers past Minnesota in Big Ten Tournament
· Yahoo Sports
It’s March. And that means teams needing their top players to step up, specifically in the backcourt.
That is exactly what Rutgers got from its honorable mention All-Big Ten guard.
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Tariq Francis scored a game-high 29 points and added four assists as 14th-seeded Rutgers earned an upset victory over 11th-seeded Minnesota in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. Francis shot 9-for-16 from the field, including 5-for-7 from three-point range, as he set a new program record for points in a tournament game, passing Corey Sanders.
This marks the first win in the Big Ten Tournament for Rutgers since 2023. The Scarlet Knights (14-18, 6-14) will take on sixth-seeded UCLA on Thursday night.
Minnesota (15-17, 8-12) took a two-point lead into halftime following a back-and-forth first half. The Gophers extended to a five-point lead on a Langston Reynolds layup before Rutgers took control.
The Scarlet Knights went on an 11-0 run to go up 58-52. Jamichael Davis and Harun Zrno knocked down free throws with under a minute to go, sparking a 6-0 run to put Rutgers up 70-59 with 23 seconds left.
The last time these teams were on the court together, Minnesota ran away with an 80-61 win where it shot 60% from the field. Rutgers forced 15 Gopher turnovers and shot 10-for-23 from deep.
Emmanuel Ogbole finished 5-for-6 shooting to get to 10 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Davis finished with 13 points and six assists off the bench.
The Scarlet Knights ended a streak of three years without a win in the Big Ten Tournament. The team was able to hang on in the season finale for the coveted first-round bye in the field and will now advance to Thursday’s action.