An early deficit was too much for the 'Cats to climb out of.
Northwestern fought valiantly to rally from an early 16-point hole and managed to take a late lead, but the 'Cats couldn't end their regular season with a win in Minneapolis. Minnesota (15-16, 8-12 B1G) took down the Wildcats (13-18, 5-15 B1G) in the Saturday night finale, 67-66.
Chris Collins' squad finishes conference play as the No. 15 team in the Big Ten, meaning the Wildcats will face Penn State in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. Northwestern, which beat the Nittany Lions in January, 94-73, would have to win six consecutive games in Chicago next week to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Nick Martinelli continued his historic season with 23 points and nine rebounds, although he missed a three-pointer in the final seconds that would have won the game. The senior surpassed his program-record single-season scoring mark from a year ago in the loss.
Due to injuries, only six players saw the floor for Minnesota, with each of the Gophers' starters eclipsing 36 minutes. Langston Reynolds scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the second half, including a layup to take the lead with 11.3 seconds to go.
Minnesota dominated from the jump, using a run of 14 consecutive points to take an early 18-2 lead. Three-pointers from Jordan Clayton, Angelo Ciaravino and Jake West helped the 'Cats cut into the deficit, but Bobby Durkin drilled three triples of his own that kept the Gophers ahead by double digits.
The lack of a post presence from center Arrinten Page, who was a late scratch due to an illness, meant Minnesota gave Northwestern fits down low. Minnesota scored 16 points in the paint over the first 20 minutes and added another nine off free throws.
With a minute remaining in the first half, Martinelli stole the ball away from Reynolds, then attempted to thread the needle with a transition pass to Tre Singleton. The bounce pass inadvertently went off Singleton's foot, but ended up directly in the grasp of a trailing West. Northwestern's freshman point guard caught the ricochet in stride and took it straight to the basket as the Wildcats attempted to gain momentum heading into the break.
Isaac Asuma hit two free throws in the final seconds of the half, giving Minnesota a 39-29 lead. The Gophers shot a stellar 65.0% from the floor in the first half and made four of their seven attempts from beyond the arc. Eleven of Minnesota's 13 baskets came off of assists.
Meanwhile, Northwestern struggled to put the ball in the basket. Just 37.0% of the 'Cats' shots found the bottom of the net, even though Martinelli led the way with 10 points.
Reynolds scored the Gophers' first nine points to start the second half, but West refused to let Minnesota pull away. He hit three shots from behind the arc and kept Northwestern within striking distance.
Martinelli then took over down the stretch, as he has done often during the past month. The Big Ten's leading scorer converted through contact on a three-point play, drilled a triple after an inbound and added his signature floater to cut Minnesota's advantage to 61-58.
A step-back jumper gave Martinelli his eighth point in a row for Northwestern. On the very next possession, West wound down the shot clock before driving and tossing the ball back to Clayton in the corner. The junior's fading three-pointer as the clock expired put the Wildcats ahead for the first time with 1:34 remaining.
Clayton, Ciaravino and Singleton combined to lock down the Gophers' attempt at taking the lead, as Asuma couldn't find an uncontested look. After Ciaravino went 2-of-2 at the line, Reynolds then streaked down the floor for a quick jam. Martinelli missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Reynolds took advantage. The Gophers' leading scorer on the night took West to the rack and regained the lead for Minnesota.
Martinelli hit the back iron on a long three-pointer with five seconds left, and the 'Cats were unable to get a second shot off before the clock hit zero.
Northwestern will play Penn State on Tuesday, the second game of the Big Ten Tournament.