Women's Basketball recap: #25 Rutgers hangs on to defeat #21 Minnesota, 66-61

The Knights had big leads throughout the night, up by 20 in the first and 12 in the second, but the Gophers just didn't give up. It was a valiant effort, but in the end the home team came away victorious.

Rutgers defeated Minnesota 66-61 with the help of 28 points from G Tyler Scaife, and the Knights B1G record now stands at 5-3, good for a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference.

The RU Big 3 led the way once again. Kahleah Copper and Betnijah Laney scored 13 and 15 points, respectively, to go along with Scaife's big night. The rest of the starting five struggled, as Syessence Davis and Ariel Butts couldn't find the hoop all game long. Briyona Canty impressed and reminded fans that she's a key player, notching eight assists off the bench.

For Minnesota, it was the Amanda Zahui B. show. The Gophers' center was a force in the paint, scoring 36 points and collecting 15 rebounds. Rutgers didn't have an answer for her as Laney, Christa Evans, and Rachel Hollivay had foul trouble defending the powerful Zahui B. It wasn't enough for the Gophers, however, as leading scorer and Old Dominion transfer Shae Kelley was limited to only four points.

This win starts a key stretch for Rutgers as they look to secure a top-four seed for the Big Ten Tourney. The Knights travel to West Lafayette to face a Purdue team that lost five of their last six and get last-place Penn State at home.

Next up: #25 Rutgers at Purdue @ 7 PM on BTN.