Career-high 39 from Battle not enough as Gophers fall 84-73 at Maryland

By: Tony Liebert |
March 2, 2021: In the penultimate game of the Gophers regular season, Jamison Battle’s heroics were not enough falling 84-73.

–> Follow @Tony Liebert on Twitter

Full Game Recap:

  • First Half: Payton Willis came off the bus with something to prove for the Gophers. After a 19-point second-half performance on Sunday against Indiana, he scored the first eight points in this game, but Minnesota still trailed 12-10 heading into the first media timeout. The hot offensive start continued as the Gophers began the nigh five of eight from the three-point line, resulting in a 21-20 lead heading into the under 12 media timeout. Jamison Battle began to heat up, highlighted by a monstrous dunk through the lane. He totaled 12 early points, but Maryland led 27-26 heading into the under-eight media timeout. Willis picked up a second foul at about the 12-minute mark and it held him out all the way until the under-four media timeout. It hurt the Gophers, as their deficit grew to 41-33 with 2:19 to go in the first half. Battle finished the first half with 20 points and the Gophers trailed 41-38 at the break.

  • Second Half: Jamison Battle came out of the locker room with the same energy that he had in the first half. Seven quick second-half points were all the Gophers had through the first media timeout, and still trailed by three. Battle continued to carry the entire Minnesota program on his back. He had all 14 of the team’s 14 points through 10 minutes in the half. The vanishment of a second scorer resulted in a 61-51 Maryland lead. Thanks to a few big plays from Payton Willis and Sean Sutherlin the Gophers worked themselves back into this game, trailing 66-63 with four minutes to go. Their lack of depth ultimately caught up with them in the end, falling 84-73.

Instant Reaction & Takeaways:

It might not really seem like it, but this was the type of game that has me excited for next season. Jamison Battle had his best offensive performance of the season with (20) points, 20 of which came in the first half. The thought of him having at least two more seasons in a Maroon & Gold uniform should make any Gophers fan excited for the future. This was also the type of game where they badly needed a third scorer and postman. Eric Curry was obviously OUT due to an undisclosed injury, but if Minnesota had either one of those players tonight I think it wins this game. But two more seasons of Battle is exactly what this program needs from a No. 1 option as Ben Johnson continues to rebuild.
When the Gophers won their first Big Ten road game against Michigan, I would’ve hoped they wouldn’t enter the final road game of the season with one conference road win on the season. Especially with Curry out of the lineup this team simply has too big of holes to fill. Four players played all 20 minutes in the second half and Sutherlin played 15. Minnesota played virtually the whole second half without a center or any post presence at all. That is an extremely hard ask for any team to overcome.

What is Next?:

The Gophers will close the regular season with a road matchup against Northwestern on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. And then play in the play-in portion of the Big Ten tournament on Wednesday, March 9. They entered today slated to take on Northwestern, but still have the chance to play Penn State, or Maryland as well.

All of the haters that were saying that this was going to be one of the worst teams in the Big Ten this season, you can pat yourself on the back, you’re probably right. But what is important to realize, they did it much differently than anyone would’ve expected. This team has shown flashes all season and that is sometimes all you can ask for.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *