Gophers Lose 70-69 Despite Big Second Half Lead

In the end it was more of the same for the Golden Gophers. After leading by 14 points with less than eight minutes remaining in the second half, Florida State went on a 16-0 run, hit a variety of three-pointers and ultimately won 70-69 before a frustrated Gopher crowd of just over 9,000 Tuesday night at Williams Arena in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The Seminoles led 2-0 in the first minute of the game, but Minnesota controlled the next 37 minutes until Florida State took the lead 65-63 after a Von Wafer three-pointer with 2:17 remaining. The 16-0 FSU run came on the heels of a tentative Gopher offense and couple big Seminole three-pointers and defensive stops.

Florida State battled back from the 63-49 deficit and an enthusiastic Gopher team and crowd midway through the second half. FSU was lead by Wafter’s 19 points on 6/10 from the floor and 3/5 from behind the arc.

The Seminoles’ resiliency was displayed in both halves as they came back from a 12-point first half lead and cut it to a three-point deficit, 41-38 at half. Vincent Grier and Dan Coleman led the way early on for the Gophers as each scored 13 points in the first half. Grier was dominant early as he had all 13 of his first half points in the first nine minutes and finished 3/3 from three-point land in the first 20 minutes of play.

Grier’s shooting ignited an impressive start for the Gophers as they shot 80% from the field in the first ten minutes of play and limited FSU to only three rebounds in the first seven minutes.

Minnesota opened up at 34-22 lead after back-to-back Rico Tucker and Aaron Robinson three-pointers. Robinson then followed that up with a coast-to-coast lay-up, which brought Gopher fans to their feet. Florida State then went on a 13-5 run to close out the half.

Tucker provided a big spark for the Gophers in the second half with his defensive pressure and intensity. He forced a jump ball and grabbed a steal which led to a Grier fast break, igniting a 20-8 Gopher run, giving them their biggest lead of the game with under eight minutes to go, and the run included a chest bump between Grier and Dan Monson as the Gophers came off the floor for a time-out.

But the celebrating ended there as the Gopher lead was not enough as the Seminoles battled back and took the lead with just over two minutes remaining.

Jeff Hagen hit two free throws to tie the game at 65-65 with 1:51 remaining but Waffer hit a big three-pointer on top of the key with 1:36 remaining. The Gophers trailed by two points with 19-seconds remaining but Grier missed a three-pointer and FSU converted a loose ball into a fast-break lay-up and foul. Robinson made a late three-pointer, but it was too little too late for the Gophers.

Grier led the Gophers with a game-high 23 points on 8/16 from the field. Coleman added 14 points, Robinson 11 and Tucker 10.

The Seminoles, who recently lost to Texas Corpus Christi, Kent State and Texas Christian, improved to 3-3 earning their first road win of the season. The loss drops the Gophers to 2-3. They will face Holy Cross at The Barn on Saturday.

For Gopher fans there were signs teamwork, defensive stops, ball rotation and energy. But in the end, Minnesota relinquished another second half lead, leaving fans with more of the same.