University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Rutgers
Minnesota Falls on the Road to Rutgers, 75-52
3/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Rutgers ended a 32-game losing streak in the Big Ten Conference and a 17-game overall skid with a 75-52 victory over Minnesota on Saturday behind a career-high 29-point performance by Mike Williams.
The victory was the first in conference for the Scarlet Knights since a 67-62 win over No. 4 Wisconsin on Jan. 11, 2015. It was their first win overall since beating Massachusetts-Lowell on Dec. 28.
Corey Sanders and Bishops Daniels added 12 points apiece in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Charles Buggs and Stephon Sharp had 13 apiece for Minnesota (8-22, 2-16), which shot a season-low 30.1 percent for the game. Bakary Konate added 10.
Rutgers, which was coming off a 31-point loss to No. 2 Michigan State on Wednesday, never had to worry about this one. It scored the first six points and opened a 21-2 lead when D.J. Foreman hit two free throws with just under 12 minutes to play in the first half.
Williams, who came off the bench with Daniels getting a start on Senior Day, was spectacular in the first half. He made four 3-pointers and hit four free throws in scoring 16 points, one more than Minnesota had in the half in falling behind 40-15.
The 15 points were the Gophers' fewest of the season and it came on 6 of 40 shooting from the field. Jordan Murphy, the Gophers' leading scorer with Mason out, was 1 of 14 from the field. He finished 3 of 21.
Rutgers never trailed in the game, and led by as many as 33 points in the second half
Williams' previous career high was 25 against Central Arkansas earlier this season. He was 7 of 12 from the field, making six 3-pointers, while hitting 9 of 10 from the free throw line.
The Scarlet Knights recognized senior student-athletes Greg Lewis, Bishop Daniels, Omari Grier, Jalen Hyde and manager Steve Gorin in a pregame ceremony. Throughout their careers, they have combined to play in 223 games, score 1,054 points and grab 587 rebounds at Rutgers.
Up next, Minnesota plays a first-round Big Ten tournament game on Wednesday.
