Gopher Basketball
Still, the Gophers won this game without too much difficulty. They led by as many as 15 points in the first half (27-12) and led by 18 late in the game (62-44) before a late Cougar rally narrowed the final margin to 10 points at 68-58. Chicago State had good perimeter quickness and an impressive center, but they weren’t quite as good as I thought they might be. Solid Minnesota defense was able to keep their undisciplined offense in check most of the game, and when the Gophers did have some defensive lapses, they were usually able to recover by blocking a shot (they had 10 blocks overall).
Minnesota’s offense looked pretty good early on, other than a few turnovers. When Chicago State switched to zone though, the Gophers had some problems. The Cougars capitalized on those struggles to go on a 11-2 run late in the first half, and they continued to have some success early in the second. Minnesota eventually figured out how to handle it though, and they then pulled away.
The key turned out to be the passing ability of the Gopher big men along with good movement away from the ball. Spencer Tollackson was credited with two assists, but that doesn’t do justice to what was one of the best passing displays by a big man you’re ever going to see. Spencer had at least a half-dozen tremendous passes in the paint, including a beautiful no-look, touch, behind-the-back dump down to Vincent Grier on the baseline (that Vincent couldn’t quite finish). Jeff Hagen had several great passes as well and finished with 3 assists. Jeff led the Gophers with 20 points and also had 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. He struggled a bit in the first half but really played well down the stretch.
The star of the game, though, was Brent Lawson. Brent scored a career-high 19 points, grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds, and also had 3 steals, 2 assists, and a blocked shot in 37 minutes. Brent was the one Gopher who was hot from outside, where he went 3 for 6 on 3-pointers. He also scored with several impressive drives to the hoop (including two that he finished with his left hand) along with a soaring follow dunk in the second half.
Vincent Grier finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. J’son Stamper had 6 points and 5 rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench, and Rico Tucker chipped in 5 points and a game-high 5 assists in the first start of his career. Rico’s shot wasn’t falling, and he still had some turnover problems, but his vision and ability to penetrate and dish was really on display.
Now the Gophers get a week off to finish final exams and rest a little before hosting St. Francis on 12/22.
Here’s the box score.
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