CHICAGO, Ill. - Playing in their final game in Scarlet, seniors Kadeem Jack and Myles Mack, scored 18 and 15 points, respectively, but Rutgers (10-22, 2-16) dropped an 80-68 decision to Minnesota (18-14, 6-12) on Wednesday evening at the United Center in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Junior guard Bishop Daniels contributed 15 points, all in the second half, in the hard-fought defeat.

The Scarlet Knights established a 37-32 rebounding advantage en route to a 15-10 edge in second chance points. The Gophers, however, shot 51.7 percent (30-of-58) and had a 19-9 advantage in bench points to earn the victory.

The Scarlet Knights got off to a hot start, with Junior Etou knocking down a three-pointer on the first possession, and Mack following with a layup for a quick 5-0 lead. Minnesota clawed back before Jack scored six straight for RU, pushing the No. 14 seed ahead of the No. 11 seed, 15-12.

D.J. Foreman came in off the bench and was an immediate contributor. On consecutive possessions, he grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a putback, pushing the Rutgers advantage to 19-14.

Rutgers then went cold from the field, experiencing a five minute scoring drought. The defense remained stout, and Minnesota held just a slim 22-19 lead before Lewis knocked down a jumper to add to the tally.

The Gophers pushed ahead 26-21, but the Scarlet Knights had another counter. RU rattled off five straight points, capped by a Mack three-pointer to tie the game at 26.

Minnesota held a slim 30-27 edge heading into the locker room at halftime. Rutgers touted a 22-19 rebounding edge and an 11-4 advantage in second chance points over the opening 20 minutes.

RU came out of the locker room strong, using a 7-2 burst to start the half that was keyed by a Mack three-pointer to take a 34-32 lead. Minnesota countered by pushing the pace. The Scarlet Knights made six consecutive free throws trying to cut the gap, but the Gophers completed a 22-8 run to go in front 54-42.

The Scarlet Knights were looking for a spark, and found one from Daniels, who completed a highlight reel slam dunk. Mack made a play on the defensive end, coming up with a steal and scoring the layup on a fast break. A basket from Jack followed to complete a 7-0 run that got RU back within four points at 56-52.

Rutgers battled hard down the stretch as the Gophers tried to pull away. Mike Williams and Mack hit threes down the stretch, but Minnesota closed out the 12-point victory.

POSTGAME NOTES
· Kadeem Jack led the team with 18 points. It was his 20^th game this season scoring in double figures and 11^th time pacing the squad in scoring.
· Jack recorded his 100^th career block.
· Myles Mack had 15 points, his 22^nd double-digit scoring game this season.
· Mack finishes his career with 1,658 points (seventh all-time in Rutgers history), 425 assists (fourth all-time), 211 steals (second all-time), and 239 three-pointers (fourth all-time).
· It is the 14^th time this season both Mack and Jack scored in double figures in a game.
· Mack had a team-high four steals, the fourth time this year he has picked up for or more steals and the first time against Big Ten opposition.
· Bishop Daniels scored 15 points, all in the second half. It was his 10^th double-digit scoring output.
· Junior Etou had a team-high nine rebounds, his 18^th time leading the team in rebounding.
· D. J. Foreman tied his career high with eight rebounds.
· The same three players also scored in double figures in the only other meeting with Minnesota this year (Jack-19; Daniels-13; Mack-26).