Streak Ends in Iowa; Gophers Fall 66-60

This was the type of game where you find out who’s an optimist and who’s a pessimist. Who sees the glass as half full, and who thinks it’s already half empty. I’ll start with the schizophrenic point of view.

Playing their first road game in 5 weeks and just their 2nd of the season, the Gophers made Top 25 Iowa go the distance Saturday afternoon. Minnesota did this in spite of shooting just 33% from the field and committing 20 turnovers. If the Gophers can almost beat one of the better teams in the conference despite having their worst offensive game of the season, they should wind up with several road wins this season, right? Or was it that with the Gophers finally playing a good team, their offensive was exposed for what it was?

Despite beginning the game by making just 2 of their first 23 shots and falling behind 29-13, they rallied to get within 6 points at the half. The same occurred in the second half, where Minnesota went over 7 minutes before scoring their first basket. That quickly put them behind 43-15, but they again rallied to get within six. So the Gophers certainly showed heart. Or did they just have a lack of it to start each half? Or maybe 0-2 Iowa didn’t show much of it after building their sizable leads?

Did Minnesota nearly pull the upset despite its top player, Vincent Grier, scoring just 6 points – the first time he’s finished in single digits all season? Or was Grier exposed the first time he was guarded by a quicker and equally-athletic player like Pierre Pierce? Did they barely lose despite missing 10 free throws, or did their 20 made free throws and Iowa’s equally woeful shooting help make the game look closer than it really was?

Take your pick. Personally, I always like the half-full view until forced to believe otherwise. So I was pleased to see a Gopher team for the first time in quite a while go on the road in the Big Ten and do what they needed to do defensively (except for a few early Hawkeye transition baskets) and on the boards to get a ‘W’. Sure, they didn’t shoot well, but the shots they missed were ones we’ve seen them make before. They had one starter (Hagen) coming back from a concussion, another one (Lawson) hampered by a hip injury and without his usual leaping ability, and a third (Grier) finally proving he was human by having a bad offensive game.

I think it’s important to remember that this is still an inexperienced team, and this was the first road Big Ten game for many on the roster. They hopefully learned first-hand that cold shooting and extended droughts are much easier to overcome at home than on the road. They also hopefully learned that defending and rebound can still give you a chance. That should pay dividends at Ohio State next week and in future games. If it doesn’t, then we can start wondering if the glass is really emptier than it is full.

Jeff Hagen led the Gophers with a gritty performance, overcoming a [expectedly] slow start to finish with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists. He was pretty much the Gophers’ offense in the second half. Rico Tucker finished with 10 points in just 17 minutes of play, although he struggled some earlier and only had 2 points in the first 30 minutes or so. Dan Coleman had a solid game with 9 points.

Grier (who was only 1 for 6 from the field), Aaron Robinson, and Spencer Tollackson each scored 6. Tollackson’s points all came in the Gophers’ first-half rally. Grier did pitch in 5 rebounds and 5 steals, and Robinson had 4 assists and 5 boards. J’son Stamper had another solid performance off the bench with 5 points and 8 rebounds in 20 minutes.

Here’s the box score.

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