Minnesota rallied from two double-digit deficits to force overtime, but did little right in the extra frame in a 75-67 loss Saturday to Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J.

Rutgers scored 10 of the first 12 points in overtime, hitting 3 of 4 field goals and all four of its free throws, while Minnesota turned the ball over twice and managed only a driving layup by Dawson Garcia to fall behind 71-63 with a minute left.

Luc’Eye Patterson made a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left but it was entirely too late to make much difference as the Gophers finished the season under .500, 15-16 overall, and 7-13 in the Big Ten.

Jordan Derkack sealed it for the Scarlet Knights (15-16, 8-12) with a slam dunk and 3 seconds left on the clock at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

The Gophers lost four of their last five regular season games but advanced to the Big Ten conference tournament on a tiebreaker courtesy of road victories over Southern Cal and Nebraska.

Dawson Garcia scored a team-high 19 points and added eight rebounds, and Frank Mitchell finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Gophers, who will start tournament play on Wednesday in Indianapolis as the No. 12 seed with a 2:30 p.m. tip against Northwestern.

Minnesota didn’t help itself with its details, missing 10 free throws (13 for 23) and committing 15 turnovers, two in the decisive overtime run that Rutgers turned into points.

“I thought some of the turnovers that we had were (because of Rutgers), but I thought some of them were us, just playing loose and playing off balance,” coach Ben Johnson told reporters after the game.

Dylan Harper had six points, a steal and an assist in overtime and scored a game-high 22 points for Rutgers, which also will play in the conference tournament.

The Gophers had a 21-18 lead with 7:41 remaining in the first half, but the Scarlet Knights clamped down and finished the frame with a 20-8 run for an 11-point lead at intermission. Jeremiah Williams’ jump shot to open the second half made it 40-29, but Minnesota began chipping away.

A pair of free throws by Garcia started a 19-6 run that he also ended with a hook shot that gave Minnesota a 49-46 lead with 9:23 left in regulation. Garcia made it 56-55 in favor of Minnesota with 2:48 left, and a layup by Mitchell gave the Gophers a 58-57 lead with 1:19.

After that, they never led again, tying the game 61-61 on a shot by Garcia with 7 seconds left, and Odukale stole the ball from Rutgers with 3 seconds left to ensure overtime.

“We’ve been in a lot of tight games like this. I just told them whoever’s gonna have more juice in overtime is probably going to end up winning — not cave to fouls and the fatigue part of it,” Johnson told reporters.

Six of the Gophers free throw misses came in the second half, one in overtime.

“We’ve been burned a couple of times by that this season, just not being able to always convert on the line,” Johnson said. “And when you leave … 10 points on the board, it’s going to come back and bite you, and today, I thought it got us a little bit.”

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After finishing runner-up to Wisconsin in the WCHA Final Faceoff, Minnesota on Sunday was awarded an at-large berth in the 11-team NCAA tournament.

The fourth overall seed, Minnesota (28-11-1) will meet No. 5 seed Colgate (30-8-0) next Saturday at Ridder Arena after a first-round bye. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m.

This will be the Gophers’ 22nd NCAA tournament appearance, and because the Frozen Four is at Ridder March 21-23, they can win a national championship with three home games. Their last of their 15 Frozen Four appearances was in 2023.

Cornell (ECAC), Penn State (CHA), Sacred Heart (NEWHA), Boston University (Hockey East) and WCHA champion Wisconsin earned the five automatic bids by winning their respective conference tournaments. Clarkson, Minnesota Duluth, Ohio State and St. Lawrence also earned at-large bids.

NCAA WOMEN’S HOCKEY TOURNAMENT

Schedule for the 2025 NCAA women’s national championship tournament:

Regional semifinals (Wednesday)

Boston University vs. Clarkson, 7 p.m. CDT, Madison, Wis., ESPN+
Penn State vs. St. Lawrence, 7 p.m. CDT, Columbus, Ohio, ESPN+
Minnesota Duluth vs. Sacred Heart, 6 p.m., CDT, Ithaca, N.Y., ESPN+

Regional finals (Saturday)

No. 1 Wisconsin vs. Clarkson/BU, 2 p.m., Madison, Wis., ESPN+
No. 2 Ohio State vs. Penn State/St. Lawrence, 5 p.m. CDT, Columbus, Ohio, ESPN+
No. 3 Cornell vs. Minnesota Duluth/Sacred Heart, 5 p.m. CDT, Ithaca, N.Y., ESPN+
No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 5 Clarkson, 2 p.m. CDT, Ridder Arena, ESPN+

Frozen Four

March 21-23, Ridder Arena, ESPN+/ESPNU

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OF NOTE

Linda Findley

Sleep Number Corp., a Minneapolis-based maker and retailer of specialty beds and mattresses, announced it has appointed Linda Findley as president and chief executive officer, and as a member of the board, effective April 7. She succeeds Shelly Ibach, who has announced plans to retire. Ibach will continue serving as board chair until the company’s 2025 Annual Meeting. The board also appointed Phillip M. Eyler as independent chair effective after the 2025 Annual Meeting. Findley previously was CEO at Blue Apron Holdings, and chief operating officer at Etsy Inc.

ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS

Nemer Fieger & Associates, a St. Louis Park-based advertising agency, announced the following promotions: Kristin Laursen, vice president of media; Amanda Van Nevel, account director; Claire Fenske, senior account executive, and Bry Murphy, digital media specialist.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

KLC Financial, a Minnetonka-based provider of equipment lease and purchase financing for business, announced the promotion of Lee Ritter to national business development manager. Ritter has over 13 years of experience in the equipment finance industry. … Gravie, a Minneapolis-based health benefits manager for business, announced it has named Steve Wolin as chief executive. He succeeds co-founder and CEO Abir Sen, who will continue as chairman of the board of directors. Prior to joining Gravie, Wolin was the chief operating officer at Oscar Health.

HEALTH CARE

Visana Health, a Minneapolis-based virtual women’s health clinic, announced Dr. Chevon Rariy as chief clinical innovation officer and Mike Tudeen as executive chairman.

LAW

Maslon, Minneapolis, announced the following new leaders for three of its practice groups: Kaitlin (Katie) Eisler, Corporate & Securities Group; Jason Reed co-chair of the Financial Services Group with Brian Klein, and Bryan Freeman, co-chair of the Litigation Group with Katie Maechler. … LGN, Minneapolis, announced the following attorneys have been advanced to to partnership: Jennifer L.M. Jacobs, Simeon A. Morbey, Kyle Pozan, Stephen J. Teti and Arielle S. Wagner. … Winthrop & Weinstine, Minneapolis, announced that attorneys Joel Peters-Fransen and Rafi W. Mottahedeh joined the firm as shareholders and co-chairs of its tax practice. Both previously served as tax counsel at Wayzata-based commodities conglomerate Cargill. … Fredrikson, Minneapolis, announced that attorney Jordan Lee has joined as an associate in its Patent Group.

MANUFACTURING

Winnebago Industries, an Eden Prairie-based maker of large recreational vehicles, motorhomes and watercraft, announced Steve Speich as senior vice president, enterprise operations, effective March 3. Speich previously was an executive at John Deere.

NONPROFITS

Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul announced that Jody Emmings joined as chief program officer. Emmings previously directed Macalester College’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation hub, launching the Idea Lab. … Rise Inc., a Fridely-based provider of services for adults with disabilities, announced Tim Dickie as president and CEO, succeeding Lynn Noren, who retired. Dickie previously was Rise’s chief program officer.

OPENINGS

The Market at Malcolm Yards, a Minneapolis food hall, announced the addition of World Street Kitchen to its lineup in February, taking over the former Mr. Paul’s Po’ Boys and Jams space. … Walser Automotive Group announced the planned April opening of a Mitsubishi Motors dealership at 600 W. 121st St., Burnsville.

POLITICS

Center of the American Experiment, a Golden Valley-based political policy advocacy group, announced that former Minnesota House Majority Leader Matt Dean has been hired as a policy fellow covering state health care policy. Dean succeeds Peter Nelson, who has joined the Trump administration. Dean also previously worked for the Heartland Institute as a senior fellow for health care policy outreach.

TECHNOLOGY

Total Expert, a St. Louis Park-based provider of customer engagement software and services for financial institutions, announced Pete Karns as chief product officer. Karns previously led corporate strategy at Bonterra after a 10-year career at IBM.

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EMAIL ITEMS to businessnews@pioneerpress.com.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Kelvin Yeboah scored for the second consecutive game, and Dayne St. Clair had two saves on Saturday night to help Minnesota United beat the San Jose Earthquakes, 1-0.

Yeboah back-heeled a volley to open the scoring in the 38th minute. Tani Oluwaseyi, along the end line, went high above two defenders and flicked a header out toward the right corner of the area. Michael Boxall pushed a side-foot one-touch pass to Yeboah for the finish from near the penalty spot.

St. Clair has stopped seven of the eight shots he has faced this season and has back-to-back shutouts for Minnesota (2-1-0).

San Jose (2-1-0) had 68% possession and 15 total shots but Minnesota finished with a 6-3 advantage in on-target shots.

The Earthquakes, who beat Real Salt Lake 4-0 at home in the opener and got a 2-1 road win over Sporting Kansas City last week, went into the game with a plus-five scoring margin, tied for best in MLS.