Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Match Player Stats On Feb 18, 2024

Pharrel Payne scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, and Minnesota held on for an 81-70 win over Rutgers in a Big Ten Conference matchup on Sunday evening in Minneapolis.

Elijah Hawkins added 16 points and a game-high seven assists for Minnesota (16-9, 7-7). Dawson Garcia contributed 14 points and eight rebounds.

Clifford Omoruyi and Derek Simpson scored 19 points apiece to lead Rutgers (14-11, 6-8). Jeremiah Williams finished with nine points on 2-for-10 shooting.

Minnesota shot 51 percent (25 of 49) from the field and 50 percent (8 of 16) from 3-point range. Rutgers shot 38.7 percent (24 of 62) overall and 21.1 percent (4 of 19) from beyond the arc.

The Golden Gophers finished with a slim 37-33 advantage in rebounds.

Minnesota opened the second half on an 8-0 run to seize a 45-37 lead. Mike Mitchell Jr. made a jump shot, Payne made a layup, Hawkins made a layup and Payne put down a dunk to swing momentum toward the Golden Gophers.

Hawkins made a 3-pointer to give Minnesota a double-digit lead with 12:45 remaining. Cam Christie zipped a pass to Hawkins, whose long-range shot made it 56-44.

Another 3-pointer, this time by Garcia, increased Minnesota's lead to 72-55 with 3:39 remaining.

Rutgers answered with an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to 72-66 with 2:11 left. Simpson had a layup, a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws during the run.

Minnesota then secured the victory by scoring nine of the final 13 points.

The score was tied at 37-37 at the half.

Minnesota took a 16-11 lead in the first seven minutes. Payne scored seven points during that span for the Golden Gophers.

Rutgers responded with a 14-3 run to pull ahead 25-19 with 8:23 to go in the half. Antwone Woolfolk made a layup to finish off the scoring run.

The Golden Gophers scored 18 of the final 30 points of the first half to pull even.

--Field Level Media