Balanced Scoring Leads Gophers to 91-50 Win

Over the last few years the Gophers have struggled with a few of their exhibition game opponents. But the 2004-05 Gophers do not have a star, and thus must rely on teamwork and hard work, and that is exactly what led to the 91-50 win over St. Thomas on Saturday.

Led by a balanced offensive attack and a big run midway through the first half and again to start the second half, the Gophers never let the Tommies in the game.

Senior Jeff Hagen led the Gophers in the first half with 13 points and six rebounds including 9/12 from the free throw line. Hagen’s inside presence opened things up for Vincent Grier and Dan Coleman as the two had 10 and nine points, respectively. After a slow start, the Gophers put on its full court press and went on a 21-3 run opening up a 33-14 lead before taking a 44-24 halftime lead.

The defensive intensity did not let up in the second half as Minnesota went on a 26-10 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Overall, it was a solid first game for the Gophers. For a team that has struggled in past exhibition games and at times looked lost early in the season, the 04-05 Gophers looked organized, took solid care of the ball, had good spacing on offense and minimized its defensive lapses.

Here are some additional individual player analysis:

Jeff Hagen ““ Jeff looked very confident today. He had a noticeable size advantage and took full advantage of that. He got to the foul line 12 times and added seven rebounds. He had a few nice post moves and also hit an outside jumper. The coaches smartly limited his minutes today to allow his foot to heal up, but Jeff made full use of his 17 minutes.

Dan Coleman ““ Dan enters his first year of eligibility with high expectations and his debut at The Barn did nothing to diminish those. Dan has a smooth touch from the outside and is also very active on the boards and down low. Dan finished with 15 points on 7/15 shooting and added eight rebounds. Dan will create quite a few mis-matches for opponents over the next four years. He struggled on defense in the first half as he got beat by Isaac Rosefelt quite a few times.

Brent Lawson ““ Brent is a steady influence on both ends of the court. He showed continued confidence today and had a steady day with seven points, three assists and six rebounds. Brent is a definite team leader and while he isn’t a flashy player, he is a smart player that again played within himself today.

Vincent Grier ““ One of the most anticipated new additions to the Gopher program is Vincent Grier and so far so good. Vincent started out a little slow today getting into the flow of the game, but once the game opened up a bit, Vincent began to shine. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds and was an impressive 6/6 from the free throw line. Vincent also had four steals and looked very impressive in the open floor.

Aaron Robinson ““ Aaron probably has the biggest transition to make from last year to this year as he has been thrust into the starting lineup. While he still struggled with his outside shot today, he made some great decisions with the ball and his seven assists and only one turnover was a testament to that.

Rico Tucker ““ With his high-flying athleticism, Rico enters the Gopher program with much excitement and fans got a taste of this intensity when he and Robinson teamed up in the full court press. Tucker struggled with his three-point shot going 0/3 from behind the arc, but still managed to score nine points and showed why he enters the program with a strong defensive reputation.

Miles Webb ““ Miles only played five seconds in the first half, but he quickly made the most of his time in the second half as the moment he got in the game he had an offensive rebound and put back lay-up. Miles also hit two three-pointers (of course we all know he meant to bank in that first three pointer). Miles had an ugly turnover in the second half that led to a Tommie basket and he was beat a few times on the defensive end of the court, but his eight points in eight minutes was a nice boost off the bench for the Gophers.

Spencer Tollackson ““ Despite only scoring six points, Spencer was very active on both ends of the floor today. He plays very hard and fights for every rebound and he finished with eight rebounds, including four on the offensive end. He had a few nice passes down low. He continues to struggle with his free throw shooting (he was 0/3 today) and this is an area that has plagued him his entire career.

Kerry Wooldridge ““ Kerry got minutes in both halves today and had a nice offensive rebound and put back shot. He looks more comfortable out there than he did during summer scrimmages, but Kerry will likely get spot minutes here and there barring any injuries.

Jonathan Williams ““ Jonathan has a reputation as a guy with a good defensive game and some raw offensive ability and today he showed both in the 10 minutes he played. He missed both his free throw attempts, but made up for it on the defensive end with two blocks. Jonathan has potential, but the game seems a bit too fast for him right now. He will likely see some spot minutes backing up the big men as the season gets going.

Jordan Nuness ““ Jordan had four points and two rebounds in six minutes of play. Jordan is not afraid to shoot the ball if he gets an opening.

Alex Popp ““ Outside shooting has not been a strength of the Gophers over the last few years”¦Popp could be their answer. He immediately lived up to his billing as a strong outside shooter as he hit a three-pointer the first time he touched the ball. Alex seems pretty slow on defense, but could provide an outside spark from time to time.

Ryan Saunders ““ Ryan played five minutes and hit a three pointer to finish with three points and one assist. Ryan seems to be a hard working and smart player that will help push the scout team this year.