WASHINGTON -- Plagued all season by the inability to close out games, 14th-seeded Rutgers overcame a rough shooting performance to beat 11th-seeded Ohio State 66-57 Wednesday night in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Nigel Johnson scored 21 points on 5 of 11 shooting and made all eight free throws to lead the Scarlet Knights (15-17), who have now won back-to-back games after a six-game skid. Now in its third season in the Big Ten, it's the first time Rutgers has won consecutive conference games.
Despite shooting 37.1 percent -- and 30.4 from 3-point territory and going about 3 1/2 minutes without a point in the second half -- Rutgers also won its first Big Ten Tournament game after being bounced as the No.