Rutgers Basketball recap: Knights get sloppy in loss at Minnesota

The Scarlet Knights had a chance at the Barn today. The Gophers' lead was never too insurmountable, but every time Rutgers got close, they would somehow find a way to give it back to Minnesota.

Rutgers lost on the road to Minnesota, 89-80 as the Knights' conference record dips to 2-4.

It's easy to see what the problem was today: RU committed 19 turnovers compared to seven for Minnesota. Everything else went Rutgers way, as the team in scarlet had more rebounds, had a similar field goal percentage, very similar three-point percentage, and a vastly better day at the free throw line (MINN 11-17, RU 16-20).

Gopher guard Andre Hollins was unconscious from beyond the arc, as he was 7-10 from three-point range. He finished with a game-high 31 points. Maurice Walker and Carlos Morris also scored in double-digits with 16 and 12 points, respectively.

Rutgers' guards were sloppy today, highlighted by seven turnovers from Myles Mack and four from Bishop Daniels. Despite 26 points from Mack, a lot of Rutgers' success came from inside the paint, as Kadeem Jack converted three old-fashioned three-point plays to keep the Knights in the game.

The Gophers' biggest lead came at the 10:04 mark in the first, when Minnesota led Rutgers 25-12. Eddie Jordan called a timeout and the Knights executed a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 27-24 with seven minutes to go in the half. After that point, Rutgers fought to stay in the game, but the Barn proved too tough to come away with the win.

Next up: Rutgers (10-9, 2-4) hosts Michigan (10-7, 3-2) at the RAC on Tuesday, January 20 @ 6:30 PM.