Blake Hoffarber scores 26 as Gophers Upset #8 Purdue, 70-67

Blake Hoffarber scored 26 points as Minnesota held #8 Purdue without a field goal over the final 9:21 to upset the Boilermakers, 70-67, in front of a rowdy Williams Arena crowd on Thursday night. Minnesota shot 53 percent from the field, while holding the Boilermakers to just 26 percent shooting in the second half to pick up a huge win in Big Ten Conference play.

Hoffarber went four of six from behind the arc and 10 of 15 from the field to propel the Gophers (13-4, 2-3) over a Purdue (15-2, 4-1) squad which entered the contest undefeated in conference play and winners of 10 straight overall.

Al Nolen had 13 points and three steals in the win, while Trevor Mbakwe added seven points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks. Minnesota’s starting frontcourt of Ralph Sampson III, Rodney Williams, and Colton Iverson finished the game with six points each.

Hoffarber started the second half on a tear, scoring 10 of Minnesota’s first 12 points with two three-pointers to give the Gophers a 53-45 lead at the 15:14 mark. Purdue, however, would score the next nine points to retake the lead with 13:19 to play in the game on a JuJuan Johnson free-throw.

After a brief tie at 57-57, the Boilermakers would extend their advantage to as many as four with at 61-57 with 8:55 on the scoreboard. Fifty-two seconds later, a pair of Hoffarber free throws knotted the teams again at 61. The score would remain the same until the 5:50 mark, when a Williams lay-in moved the Gophers ahead by two, 63-61.

The contest would be squared at 67-67 after a pair of free-throws form Lewis Jackson and Johnson for Purdue and two jumpers by Sampson III. An Al Nolen three-pointer with 3:17 moved Minnesota ahead, 70-67, which ended up being the difference, as neither team scored the rest of the way to give the Gophers the home win.

With 26 seconds to play, Nolen missed a the front end of a one and one which allowed Purdue the opportunity to tie the game on the final possession. But D.J. Bryd missed a chance from three with four seconds left and Jackson’s attempt as the buzzer sounded went off the top of the backboard as the Boilermakers came up short.

Purdue opened up the contest by doubling up the Gophers at 12-6 over the first four minutes of play, but an Al Nolen three tied the game at 17-17 at the 12:06 point in the half. Minnesota lead briefly at 21-19 at the 9:43 mark but was unable to stay ahead for long, as the Boilermakers regained the advantage for the next 6:17.

Sampson III put Minnesota ahead, 34-33 with 3:26 showing, and the Gophers finished the half leading by the same margin at 41-40. Hoffarber led the home side with 12 first half points and Johnson had 18 points and six rebounds for Purdue.

JuJuan Johnson carried the Boilermakers with 29 points and 11 points and Lewis Jackson had 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

The Gophers shot 50 percent in the second half, while holding Purdue to 39 percent shooting overall and 26 percent in the second half.

Minnesota will look to reach .500 in conference play when they play host to Iowa this Sunday, Jan. 16 at 5 p.m.