Gophers Squander Chances; Fall to MSU 69-55

Oh, what could have been. The final score does not accurately depict how many chances the Gophers had in this game. They forced the Spartans into committing 21 turnovers. They made Paul Davis a near non-factor inside. They even held Michigan State to just 35% shooting from the field in the second half. So how did the five-point halftime margin lead to the final margin of 69-55?

The answer is missed opportunities. Minnesota shot 33% in that second half and was just 35% for the game. Surprisingly, those numbers weren’t due to poor outside shooting; the Gophers shot 39% from 3-point range (and were actually much higher than that before having to get desperate). The cold shooting came much closer to the basket. Minnesota missed at least a half-dozen bunnies right at the hoop and missed many other makeable shots in the paint. To make matters worse (actually, much worse), the Gophers missed 10 of their 24 free throw attempts (more than that if you factor in the second half of a failed one-and-one).

And despite all that, there was Minnesota trailing by just 5 points with a little over two minutes left in the game. The Spartans misfired, and the Gophers were about to head down and try to make it a one-shot game, but then MSU’s Alan Anderson grabbed the offensive rebound and put it in. Yet another opportunity squandered. From there, Minnesota had to rush things on offense and foul on defense, and the game slipped away.

The Spartans certainly deserve credit for playing hard (they seemed more fired up than the Gophers coming out of halftime) and forgetting about the late game collapse in their last road game, and you have to respect a team that goes 26 for 28 from the free throw line, but they gave Minnesota plenty of chances.

This was Minnesota’s first real big-time game of the season, and it was the first time the Barn crowd had that little extra buzz to it, and that seemed to show in the play of the Gopher newcomers. The veterans [Hagen, Lawson, Robinson] stepped up with very solid performances, but Vincent Grier had an off game (MSU’s defense deserves credit for that), and J’son Stamper and the Gopher freshmen just weren’t able to find a rhythm and make a major impact.

Jeff Hagen does deserve a definite tip of the hat for his gutty effort. Playing with a knee brace less than 72 hours after spraining his MCL, Jeff scored a game-high 16 points and grabbed a team-high 6 rebounds. His mobility was definitely hampered, which took away from his defense and passing game, but he battled hard.

Aaron Robinson scored 12 points (thanks to hot 3-point shooting in the first half of the game) and had 4 steals in another impressive performance. Brent Lawson caught fire from beyond the arc late in the game to keep Minnesota close. He finished with 10 points. Vincent Grier also finished with 10 points, but he required a dozen shots to do it and just wasn’t able to finish consistently like we’re used to seeing.

This loss dampens some of the momentum from Wednesday’s win at Ohio State, but it’s not the end of the world. Plenty of teams have lost and will lose to Michigan State. The Gophers need to do what they did a week ago after the Iowa loss – learn their lessons and move on. They’re still 3-2 in the Big Ten, and they have a chance to improve to a solid 4-2 Wednesday night against Indiana. Hagen should be healthier by then, and the newcomers will hopefully be a little more used to an intense Big Ten atmosphere.

Here’s the box score.

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