Gophers Cruise Past Purdue 62-50

This one wasn’t quite as pretty as Minnesota’s victories over Michigan State, Iowa, nor Indiana, but it didn’t need to be. The Gophers had no trouble handling a struggling Purdue team and built a 20-point lead in the second half before allowing the Boilermakers to make a run in the final minutes.

The Gophers shot just 44% for the game, couldn’t get much going from three-point range, and turned the ball over 15 times against not all that much defensive pressure from Purdue, but they did what they had to do. The Gophers played smart and they played hard, and most importantly, they played with confidence. They knew they were supposed to beat Purdue (a team that really looked outmanned), and they did.

The biggest bright spot in this game was the play of Minnesota’s bench. Only one starter scored in double figures (Adam Boone with 10), but two reserves did. Spencer Tollackson led the way with 12 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting night from the field. Purdue simply had no answer for his size and strength. Dan Coleman had an excellent game with 10 points on 4 for 5 shooting. He also had 5 boards and 2 assists and brought the crowd to their feet with a monster dunk off an offensive rebound (of his one missed shot). Rico Tucker also had a solid game off the bench with 9 points and 2 assists.

Jamal Abu-Shamala scored Minnesota’s first 5 points and finished with 8. Vincent Grier scored just 6 points after getting shut out in the first half, but his defense was excellent. And Adam had 4 assists and 2 steals to go with his 10 points.

Minnesota has now one 4 of its last 5 games. Up next is a very big one Sunday afternoon in Madison. If the Gophers can somehow manage to pull that one out, expect a rockin’ Barn Tuesday night when Illinois comes to town.

Here’s the box score.

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