The lane was wide open for Shaquille Doorson, and the junior took advantage. Coming off a pick-and-roll like Madison Square Garden was a racetrack instead of a basketball arena, Doorson sped down the lane and threw down a highlight-reel dunk, giving Rutgers an eight-point lead early in the second half as the Big Ten Tournament made its MSG debut.
It was a highlight within an ugly win, just as the game itself was a highlight within an ugly season for the Scarlet Knights.
“We didn’t want to go home,” senior guard Mike Williams said. “I don’t want to go home. This is my senior year, you know, I want to keep playing.”
Rutgers, the 14th seed, pulled away for a 65-54 first-round win over 11th-seeded Minnesota, which floundered this season due to a bevy of injuries and the expulsion of Reggie Lynch due to a sexual-assault accusation.
Junior guard Corey Sanders finished with 23 points on 9-of-20 shooting for the Scarlet Knights, who will play sixth-seeded Indiana in a second-round game Thursday night, but Rutgers’ big advantage was on the boards. The Scarlet Knights (14-18) outrebounded the Golden Gophers 47-28, as senior forward Deshawn Freeman led the way with 11 boards.
“We certainly stressed [rebounding],” Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said. “But I thought it might have surprised us a little bit early.”
The first half was a mix of the ugly basketball that has come to define Rutgers this season and a one-man highlight show from Sanders. He scored 15 in the first half, including a pull-up 18-footer with just over 30 seconds to go that ignited a crowd largely clad in red.
“I was proud of him tonight,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “ … He made big plays.”
Despite barely shooting above 40 percent from the field in the first half, Rutgers took a 34-27 lead into the locker room.
The Golden Gophers (15-17) hung around deep into the second half, cutting the deficit to as little as two, but never managed to take advantage of the Scarlet Knights’ offensive struggles. Despite Rutgers shooting 39 percent from the field, their defense held strong as Minnesota shot an even worse 35 percent.
“We kept cutting the lead,” Pitino said, “and we just couldn’t make a shot to save our life.”