(Indianapolis, MN) — Tre Williams scored 14 points and Jamal Mashburn Jr. added 11 as Minnesota snapped a seven-game skid with a 51-46 win over Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Conference tournament on Wednesday. The Golden Gophers advance to take on fifth-seeded and No. 9 ranked Ohio State on Thursday.
The Gopher men will face Ohio State in the next round of the Big Ten Tournament
LISTEN: Mike Grimm with Marcus Carr following the win over Northwestern on the Gophers Radio Network
Minnesota pulled out the win despite shooting a paltry 37% (18 for 49) while making just 10 of 24 (42%) from the foul line. Down the stretch, however, the Wildcats didn’t help their cause when with a 46-39 lead with 4:20 to go they never scored again. Despite a 3-for-10 shooting effort, Minnesota’s Marcus Carr drained back-to-back fadeaway jumpers and 2 of 3 foul shots in a 90-second span and the Golden Gophers led 49-46 with 72 seconds left. Carr finished with 10 points, Eric Curry grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and Brandon Johnson snared 10 boards for Minnesota.