Gophers Exorcise Demons

Vincent Grier made sure that his season did not end against high school rival Justin Gray. Behind his stifling defense and creative offense, the Gophers rolled to a 73-58 thumping of Wake Forest. Minnesota’s strong defense forced Wake Forest into turnovers and poor shots to fuel the victory.

Minnesota and the Demon Deacons traded buckets, more or less, for the first fifteen minutes of the first half. Vincent Grier and Moe Hargrow powered the Gophers while Eric Williams and Chris Ellis kept WFU in the mix.

As the half came to a close the Gophers went on a run to take control of the game as Vincent Grier was scoring and keeping Justin Gray at bay. Minnesota took at 39-33 lead into the half behind 12 points from Grier.

The Gophers opened the second half just as they finished the first. Their strong defense kept Wake off the board while Minnesota hit from all over the court. Justin Gray hit a rare open three to close the lead to 48-38 but the Gophers took control the rest of the way.

Vincent Grier led the way with 18 points and 8 assists to earn the Player of the Game nod. J’son Stamper used his trademark shot and rebounding to account for 12 points and 9 rebounds. Moe Hargrow and Adam Boone added to the victory with 15 and 13 points respectively.

Chris Ellis scored 12 points to lead Wake Forest while Justin Gray added 11 as his career for the Deacons came to an end.