Gopher Basketball
Without Spencer on the court, Minnesota simply has a very difficult time getting baskets inside. So on a day where they shoot just 4 for 17 from 3-point range, it’s no surprise that they struggled to score (although 49 points is a little lower than I would have guessed). It’s too bad, because this is a game where Spencer likely would have been able to score a lot, as Iowa no longer has a strong defensive presence inside.
On the bright side, Coleman did play very well and continues to have a strong junior season. In addition to the aforementioned stats, he also had 3 assists, 2 blocks, and just 1 turnover. Another positive is that Bryce Webster was able to get 28 minutes of experience ““ by far the most of his young career. Bryce finished with just 4 points and 4 rebounds and still has a long ways to go, but this experience should pay dividends down the road.
The Gophers got off to a hot start early and built an 11-7 lead, but they went on to shoot just 27% from the field in the first half and trailed 22-16 at the break. Minnesota shot the ball better in the second half (39%), but so did Iowa (38% vs. 31%), and the Gophers just didn’t have enough firepower to rally down the stretch.
Minnesota did play pretty solid defense throughout, held its own on the boards, and took decent care of the ball (11 turnovers overall but just 2 in the second half).
Up next is a nationally televised game against Illinois Wednesday night at 6pm at The Barn.
Here’s the box score.
Talk about the game on our Gopher Basketball message board.