Shorthanded Gophers fall 60-51 to Penn State in 1st round of Big Ten Tourney

By: Tony Liebert |
March 9, 2021: With E.J. Stephens out for most of the game with a migraine, Ben Johnson played five players for virtually all 40 minutes, but they came up tired in the end, losing 60-51.

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Full Game Recap:

  • First Half: It was clear why both Penn State and Minnesota were playing on day one of the Big Ten Tournament; points were hard to come by. After combining to shoot 6-19 the Gophers trailed 7-6 heading into the first media timeout. The tides completely switched in the next sequence. Both teams combined to make nine of their next 10 shots, Jamison Battle led the way with eight, but Minnesota trailed 15-14. The Gophers’ defense began to show up, going on an 8-0 run over the next ~four minutes and took a 22-15 lead into the under eight timeout. Minnesota’s defense did not let up. After playing all five starters 20 minutes, the Gophers carried a 28-24 lead into the locker room, thanks to a solid six points, six assists and two rebounds from Eric Curry.

  • Second Half: After shooting 32.1% from the field in the first half, Penn State was bound to get into a rhythm at some point. After making three of its first six second-half shots, Penn State led 33-32 with 15:38 to go. Jamison Battle began to heat up offensively with nine quick points, bringing his game total to 17, but the Nittany Lions were continuing to make shots. Minnesota trailed 43-41 heading into the under 12 media timeout. Still, without making a substitution, the Gopher continued to fight. A few big shots from Payton Willis kept the Gophers within 48-45 heading into the under-eight timeout. The dogfight continued, as both teams were struggling to make shots, and Penn State led 54-49 heading into the final media timeout. Around the four-minute mark, the Gophers finally made a sub, putting E.J. Stephens into the game, but only for about, giving Curry a quick rest. Their exhaustion finally caught up to them falling 60-51 in the end.

Instant Reaction & Takeaways:

This team has faced so many outside factors all season. It faced another one tonight, as E.J. Stephens (migraine) virtually all of the game. Sean Sutherlin took his place in the starting lineup and did a terrific job. Overall, the Gophers looked really solid in the first half. They had 10 assists on 11 made field goals and only three turnovers as a team. All five starters were doing great on both ends of the floor, but it was almost fake hope because you knew that they were gonna get tired at some point.
Willis, Curry, Battle, and Sutherlin really all left it out there. All four players scored 10+ points and were terrific on both ends of the floor. Curry had a career-high six assists and had terrific defense on Penn State’s big man John Harrar all night. Battle and Willis were Battle and Willis, and Sutherlin was terrific with 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists on the night. Not to call out Luke Loewe, but he struggled offensively with only two points on two of eight shooting. He was great on the defensive end, but his March slump continued tonight. At the end of the day, this game was a microcosm of the whole season. Five players were fighting all game and playing very hard, but they just got tired, there really isn’t much more to the outcome of this game, they just got tired and couldn’t make a shot.

What is Next?:

Well, that is it. Ben Johnson officially finishes his first season as head coach with a 13-17 record and a first-round exit from the Big Ten Tournament. Next is the offseason. I believe that this was a productive season. Johnson has clearly brought a culture of competing to Dinkytown, and at the end of the day that is a huge positive.

Johnson’s first offseason as full-time head coach is up next. As of today, it looks like the Gophers have nine players under scholarship for the 2022-23 season, so that means that Johnson and his staff will have four open scholarships to go after players in the portal. I believe that they have the building blocks to be much, much more competitive next season. Keep an eye out for a full offseason preview later this week, but I believe in Ben Johnson and you should too. Patience.

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