Gophers Handle #11 Michigan State 69-55

Now that’s how you play basketball. The Gophers played a near-flawless game (at least flawless in the effort department) against #11 Michigan State Saturday and led almost the entire way. Five Gophers scored in double figures in a true team effort, and the fans in The Barn responded with great energy throughout.

This was just an all-around good performance by the Gophers. The stats don’t quite do it justice, but they’re a start. Offensively, outside of the first 7 minutes of the second half, Minnesota was sharp. They shot 48% from the field and 78% from the free throw line, they had 17 assists on 24 field goals, they committed just 8 turnovers, and they had tremendous balance and unselfishness (players scored 7, 10, 10, 12, 13, and 15 points). Defensively, the Gophers held Michigan State to 41% shooting, had 10 steals, held Maurice Ager to just 6 points (13 below his average), and didn’t give the Spartans anything in transition ( my #1 Key of the Game).

Jamal Abu-Shamala (7 points) and Zach Puchtel (13 points) got Minnesota off to a quick start, with Jamal knocking down a couple of tough jumpers and Zach doing a good job of getting himself open inside. J’son Stamper (12), Moe Hargrow (10), and Vincent Grier (15) were solid throughout. And then Adam Boone (10) came up huge down the stretch with a big 3-pointer, a huge blocked shot, two steals, and a couple of clinching rebounds. Puchtel (7 for 8 from the line), Grier (also 7 for 8), and Hargrow (2 for 3) also knocked down some big free throws in the final minutes to keep the lead secure.

While Grier’s monster dunk over Shannon Brown really got the crowd into the game and his game-high 9 rebounds set the tone once again, it was Puchtel and Boone who were truly the MVPs of this victory. Puchtel did a great job of keeping Paul Davis out of the paint and under control defensively, he grabbed 5 rebounds and 1 steal, and he basically never made a mistake. And Boone dished out 8 assists while committing just 1 turnover. He also hit 4 big jumpers ““ each seemingly thwarting an MSU charge ““ and grabbed 5 boards.

The Gophers have now knocked off two Top 15 teams in the past two weeks and appear to have righted the ship. They’ll have a chance to really make a statement Wednesday night when they head to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines. Somehow, I think they’ll have Michigan’s attention.

Here’s the box score.

Talk about the game on our Gopher Basketball message board.