University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, February 18
5:30 PM
University of Minnesota
16-9,7-7Big Ten
81
vs
70
Rutgers
14-11,6-8Big Ten
1
2
F
Rutgers
37
33
70
Minnesota
37
44
81
Team Stats
RU
MINN
FG%
.387
.510
3FG%
.211
.500
FT%
.818
.676
RB
33
37
TO
8
15
STL
10
4
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Payne's Career Day Leads Gophers to Seventh Big Ten Win
2/18/2024 8:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
All five starters reached double-figures, led by Pharrel Payne's career-high 21 points and game-high 11 rebounds, and Minnesota (16-9, 7-7 Big Ten) built as much as a 17-point lead and held on to defeat Rutgers, 81-70, at Williams Arena. Elijah Hawkins finished with 16 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, and Dawson Garcia had 14 points and eight boards to help the Gophers snap a four-game winning streak for the Scarlet Knights (14-11, 6-8 Big Ten).
Payne made 8-of-12 field goals for Minnesota, which made 25-of-49 (.510) field goals in the game, its eighth game this season at 50 percent or better (second in B1G play). The Gophers also shot 50 percent (8-of-16) from three-point range, making 5-of-9 in the decisive second half after the teams were tied at the half. Mike Mitchell Jr. had 12 points and Cam Christie finished with 10 points and five assists to round out the double-figure scoring by the Gophers starting five.
Minnesota made 4-of-6 field goals to start the game, including a corner three-pointer by Mitchell Jr. and a layup by Payne for a 10-6 lead. Payne added four more points and Gacia connected on a baseline jumper to stretch the lead to 16-11, but the Scarlet Knights countered with a 14-3 run to build a 25-19 lead. An alley-oop dunk by Joshua Ola-Joseph on an assist by Hawkins cut it to 25-21, but Rutgers built it back to 29-22 with 6:17 left in the half. Three-pointers by Hawkins and Christie helped pull the Gophers back within two points, 31-29, and a pair of layups and a dunk from Payne tied the score at 35-35 with 2:38 remaining. Garcia sent Minnesota to the locker room tied 37-all, as he hit a pair of free throws with 2.4 seconds left. Payne led the Gophers with 13 points and six rebounds at the break, while Garcia had seven points, and Christie and Ola-Joseph each had five. Minnesota made 13-of-25 first-half field goals, but struggled at the free throw line by making just 8-of-15 (.533) attempts.
The Gophers began the second half with three consecutive field goals on a jumper by Mitchell Jr. and layups by Payne and Hawkins to expand the lead to 43-37 and force a Rutgers timeout with 17:29 left. Following the break, Hawkins lobbed a long alley-oop to Payne, who threw down the dunk to make it 45-37. A three-point play by Mitchell Jr. and a pair of free throws by Christie gave the Gophers their largest lead at 50-41. Leading 50-44, back-to-back trifectas by Christie and Parker Fox stretched the Gophers' lead to 56-44 and forced a second Rutgers timeout. The three-pointer by Fox was his first since making 5-of-20 at Northern State during the 2020-21 season. Rutgers cut the deficit to single-digits at 56-48, but Braeden Carrington beat the shot clock buzzer on a deep three to put Minnesota up by 11 with 11:13 left. Minnesota's 6-0 run, with Garcia and Payne each scoring three points, made it 66-52 with 5:38 left, and Hawkins canned a deep three-pointer for a 69-54 advantage. Hawkins found Garcia in the corner for another trey, making the Gophers 5-of-9 from long-range in the second half, and Minnesota led 72-55 with 3:39 on the clock. But Rutgers went on a 7-0 run to cut Minnesota's lead to 10 points with 2:37 left. The Scarlet Knights kept pressing on defense and added four free throws to get within 72-66 with 2:11 remaining. Garcia went 1-of-2 at the line and Hawkins made a pair for some breathing room and a 75-66 lead with 1:24 left. Mitchell Jr. was 4-of-4 at the line in the final minute to secure the victory for Minnesota, which improved to 14-3 at home this season.
Minnesota plays host to Ohio State for a 7:00 p.m. CDT tipoff on Thursday, Feb. 22, at Williams Arena on Big Ten Network.
Payne made 8-of-12 field goals for Minnesota, which made 25-of-49 (.510) field goals in the game, its eighth game this season at 50 percent or better (second in B1G play). The Gophers also shot 50 percent (8-of-16) from three-point range, making 5-of-9 in the decisive second half after the teams were tied at the half. Mike Mitchell Jr. had 12 points and Cam Christie finished with 10 points and five assists to round out the double-figure scoring by the Gophers starting five.
Minnesota made 4-of-6 field goals to start the game, including a corner three-pointer by Mitchell Jr. and a layup by Payne for a 10-6 lead. Payne added four more points and Gacia connected on a baseline jumper to stretch the lead to 16-11, but the Scarlet Knights countered with a 14-3 run to build a 25-19 lead. An alley-oop dunk by Joshua Ola-Joseph on an assist by Hawkins cut it to 25-21, but Rutgers built it back to 29-22 with 6:17 left in the half. Three-pointers by Hawkins and Christie helped pull the Gophers back within two points, 31-29, and a pair of layups and a dunk from Payne tied the score at 35-35 with 2:38 remaining. Garcia sent Minnesota to the locker room tied 37-all, as he hit a pair of free throws with 2.4 seconds left. Payne led the Gophers with 13 points and six rebounds at the break, while Garcia had seven points, and Christie and Ola-Joseph each had five. Minnesota made 13-of-25 first-half field goals, but struggled at the free throw line by making just 8-of-15 (.533) attempts.
The Gophers began the second half with three consecutive field goals on a jumper by Mitchell Jr. and layups by Payne and Hawkins to expand the lead to 43-37 and force a Rutgers timeout with 17:29 left. Following the break, Hawkins lobbed a long alley-oop to Payne, who threw down the dunk to make it 45-37. A three-point play by Mitchell Jr. and a pair of free throws by Christie gave the Gophers their largest lead at 50-41. Leading 50-44, back-to-back trifectas by Christie and Parker Fox stretched the Gophers' lead to 56-44 and forced a second Rutgers timeout. The three-pointer by Fox was his first since making 5-of-20 at Northern State during the 2020-21 season. Rutgers cut the deficit to single-digits at 56-48, but Braeden Carrington beat the shot clock buzzer on a deep three to put Minnesota up by 11 with 11:13 left. Minnesota's 6-0 run, with Garcia and Payne each scoring three points, made it 66-52 with 5:38 left, and Hawkins canned a deep three-pointer for a 69-54 advantage. Hawkins found Garcia in the corner for another trey, making the Gophers 5-of-9 from long-range in the second half, and Minnesota led 72-55 with 3:39 on the clock. But Rutgers went on a 7-0 run to cut Minnesota's lead to 10 points with 2:37 left. The Scarlet Knights kept pressing on defense and added four free throws to get within 72-66 with 2:11 remaining. Garcia went 1-of-2 at the line and Hawkins made a pair for some breathing room and a 75-66 lead with 1:24 left. Mitchell Jr. was 4-of-4 at the line in the final minute to secure the victory for Minnesota, which improved to 14-3 at home this season.
Minnesota plays host to Ohio State for a 7:00 p.m. CDT tipoff on Thursday, Feb. 22, at Williams Arena on Big Ten Network.
Highlights: Gophers 80, NDSU 54
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