Nov. 30, 2021: In a defensive battle, the Gophers took down Pitt 54-53 after a late flurry moving to 6-0 on the season.
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Full Game Recap:
- First Half: In what has become a theme for the Gophers, they started slow out of the gate once again. After missing their first five shots, Minnesota still led 2-0 heading into the first media timeout. They would eventually settle in offensively led by Jamison Battle and Payton Willis. After going through a stretch where they made 8 of 10 shots, the Gophers led 20-17 with about 5 minutes remaining in the half. After that, it really couldn’t have been much worse for the Gophers. Adding only two points in the final five minutes, made for a brutal finish to the half. Defensively, they didn’t have an answer for Pitt’s leading scorer John Hugley who led all scorers with 15 at the break, but they also weren’t able to produce anything on offense. It was remarkable that they only trailed 24-22 heading into halftime.
Halftime in Pittsburgh
Probably the worst half this season, but the #Gophers still only trail by 2 — lotta game left.
–>https://t.co/bAUqFfjmmG pic.twitter.com/XTD41yHTmA
— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) December 1, 2021
- Second Half: Minnesota’s offense continued to struggle well into the second half, but it was Pitt’s John Hugley that continued to give the Gophers problems. His dominant performance in the post widened the Panthers’ lead to as high as 42-34. That was the turning point for the Maroon & Gold, as an 8-0 run from Jamison Battle gave them their first lead in quite a while. Remarkably with five minutes left in the game, the Gophers attempted their first free throw. It was an offensive struggle down the stretch, as Minnesota failed to score for 4:09, but a pick layup from Willis gave them a chance. After a missed E.J. Stephens layup, Luke Loewe found the rebound for his first points of the day and the Gophers took a 54-53 lead for their first road win in 646 days.
#Gophers get their first road win in nearly 700 days.
Luke Loewe at the buzzer and Minnesota moves to 6-0.
–>https://t.co/kQ4G7SFwn5 pic.twitter.com/BPwCWqktXG
— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) December 1, 2021
Instant Reaction & Takeaways:
It was certainly not pretty, but it doesn’t always have to be. After getting bullied by John Hugley for 40 minutes (25 points, 14 rebounds), the Gophers defense was still able to put together a good enough performance to come out on top. In their last three wins, Pitt’s 53 points were the most scored against the Gophers. It was more than a struggle offensively for Minnesota. If it wasn’t for Jamison Battle turning it on down the stretch, I don’t think the Gophers would’ve been in a position to come away with a victory. Heading into today’s game Pitt ranked barely inside of the top 200 on Kenpom.com’s rankings, which is the lowest for a major conference team, by a wide margin and they have notable losses to The Citadel and UMBC. So the struggle of a win is good, but it is a newsflash of where this team is.
After a great start to the season, Eric Curry struggled against a big man that would be one of the worst at his position in the Big Ten Conference, going 3 of 10 on offense and picking up four fouls on defense. Hopefully, this was just a fluke, and Curry will be back to himself come conference play when he begins playing players like Hugley every game. As a team, Minnesota turned in a respectable 36.8% night from beyond the arc, but a disappointing 37.5% from two-point range. The struggle to find points around the rim is a bit concerning, coming against a Pitt team that lacks serious size. Overall, this team has had a great start to the season, and it is hard to be perfect through six games no matter who you’re playing.
What is Next?:
After a “light” schedule to start the season, Pitt was just the Gophers’ first test in a daunting stretch. Next, on Sunday, they will travel to Starkville, Mississippi to take on a 5-1 Mississippi State team that ranks in the top 50 nationally. After that comes two massive early conference games against Michigan State and Michigan. In two weeks, we will definitely know where this Gophers team stands. If they can even squeak out one win, it could be huge as they wrap up their non-conference schedule the following week with three more cupcakes.
The college basketball season is a marathon and not a sprint, and I don’t think you should take too much from a game in late November. At the end of the day, the Gophers got the win, and they will have another huge test on Sunday.