Langston Reynolds Scores Final Four as Gophers Edge Northwestern 67-66 on Senior Night

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota built a 16-point lead, watched Northwestern take it all back, and then handed the ball to Langston Reynolds. The one-year transfer from Northern Colorado scored the final four points of the game, the last two on a layup with 11 seconds left, and the Golden Gophers held on to beat Northwestern 67-66 on senior night Saturday at Williams Arena.

Reynolds finished with 21 points, 17 of them after halftime, as Minnesota (15-16, 8-12 Big Ten) closed the regular season with a win, a 13-4 home record and a sweep of the season series. Northwestern (13-18, 5-15) got 23 points and nine rebounds from Nick Martinelli, who carried the Wildcats back from a double-digit hole and nearly stole it with a final 3-pointer.

An 18-2 Start

Minnesota could hardly have opened the night better. The Gophers made their first six shots from the field and raced to an 18-2 lead with 13:38 left in the first half, according to the university's recap. Isaac Asuma powered the start with a personal 7-0 run on a 3-pointer and two layups, and Bobby Durkin, who, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported, was playing hurt, added a 3-pointer during the burst.

Northwestern went about five minutes without a point before ending the drought with a 3-pointer. Durkin hit two more 3-pointers before the break, and a Reynolds layup pushed the lead to 33-17 with 4:42 left in the half. The Wildcats closed with a 12-4 run, but Asuma's two free throws sent Minnesota to the locker room up 39-29. The Gophers shot 13-of-20 from the field in the first half.

Reynolds Takes Over

Reynolds had been quiet in the first half. He was not after it. He scored the first nine Minnesota points of the second half, including all seven in a 7-3 run that made it 46-32, and another layup pushed the margin to 48-34 with 16:54 to play. He went 7-of-9 from the field after the break.

Northwestern kept chipping away. Jake West hit three of his four 3-pointers in the second half and Martinelli went to work inside. Durkin's fourth 3-pointer made it 58-48 with 9:22 left, and Cade Tyson's three-point play gave Minnesota a 61-53 cushion with 5:29 remaining, but the Wildcats were coming.

Martinelli Flips It

Martinelli, the nation's sixth-leading scorer at 22.7 points per game according to The Associated Press, scored 11 points during a 16-5 Northwestern run. Reynolds hit two free throws with 3:01 left to put Minnesota up 63-59, but Martinelli scored on a layup and Jordan Clayton buried a 3-pointer with 1:34 left to give Northwestern its first lead of the game. Angelo Ciaravino made two free throws to stretch it to 66-63 with 34 seconds to go.

Reynolds answered immediately, driving for a dunk with 26 seconds left to cut it to one. Martinelli then went to the line for a one-and-one with 19 seconds left and missed the front end. Reynolds attacked again and scored on a layup for a 67-66 lead, and coach Niko Medved called timeout with 11.3 seconds left to set the defense.

Northwestern brought the ball across midcourt and called its own timeout. The final look went to Martinelli for a 3-pointer, and it bounced high off the rim and away as time ran out.

A Fitting Finish

Reynolds was 9-of-13 from the field and 3-of-4 at the line, with four assists and three rebounds. It was his third 20-point game of the season. Before the game, he told the Pioneer Press that senior night was "going to be a very emotional moment." He finished it with the ball in his hands.

Tyson scored 15 points, his 30th double-figure game of the season. He finished the regular season with 585 points and a 19.5-point average, which the university said is the highest by a Gopher since Daniel Oturu averaged 20.1 in 2019-20. Asuma added 14 points, a team-high eight rebounds and four assists for his 11th straight game in double figures, and Durkin finished with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from deep. Grayson Grove had six assists and three steals.

Minnesota shot 24-of-44 from the field and 13-of-16 from the free throw line. Northwestern shot 23-of-53 and won the rebounding battle 28-26. West finished with 14 points, Tre Singleton had 10 points and six rebounds, and Ciaravino added seven points and six rebounds.

What's Next

The win completed a season sweep after Minnesota won 84-78 at Northwestern on Jan. 3. Both teams now head to Chicago for the Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota is the No. 11 seed and opens against No. 14 seed Rutgers in the second round on Wednesday, while Northwestern, the No. 15 seed, faces No. 18 seed Penn State in the opening round on Tuesday.

The Gophers will take a 15-16 record and, according to the Pioneer Press, a rotation that went only six deep on Saturday into the tournament. They will also take a reminder that when the game tightens, they have a guard who wants the ball.

Photo Credit: Elijah Scott/Undrafted