Gophers Recover, Down Chippewas with Second-half Performance
November 24, 2007

The University of Minnesota Golden Gopher basketball team overcame a sluggish first half and came to life in the second to overcome the Central Michigan University Chippewas 77-59 at Williams Arena.

A crowd of 12,194 gathered at the Old Barn in hopes of witnessing the smooth play and aggressive defense displayed by the Gophers under new head coach Tubby Smith in two exhibition and two regular-season games this season. Instead, the first half more closely resembled the ragged team that previously wore the Gopher colors under the tutelage of Dan Monson and Jim Molinari. In the first 44 seconds, three held balls were called by referees, causing the contest to take on the look of a junior high school girls’ game.

Minnesota led by only 35-29 at the half and had turned the ball over to Central Michigan 14 times. Halftime adjustments by Coach Smith resulted in a more respectable performance and a lead that reached 68-44 at one point. “We turned the ball over a lot in the first half,” Smith observed after the game, “and the breakdown of our defense concerned me.”

The second-half surge pleased the coach. “We’re showing some signs of not giving up and not getting to frustrated.” Frustrating the Gophers all night long was the sterling play of CMU’s 5-10 senior guard Giordan Watson, who contributed 22 points and five assists for the Chippewas.

The Chippewa nickname has been a source of concern to the National Collegiate Athletic Association who, in August of 2005, adopted a policy prohibiting its member institutions from displaying Native American nicknames, mascots, or imagery during 88 of its postseason championship tournaments. The Chippewa nickname at Central Michigan is not that old. It dates back to 1942 (the school has been competing against organized basketball opponents since 1904). The administration at Central Michigan insists they are “celebrating the rich Native American heritage of the mid-Michigan region.”

What is frequently overlooked is the fact that the name “Chippewa” is an anglicized corruption of “Ojibwa.” European invaders to the Americas, it seems, could not even get the name of the tribe right. Yet, in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, home of Central Michigan, the university presumes to honor them. “CMU does not support any derogatory or stereotypical use of the name,” according to a press release issued by the school. To suggest this might be slightly hypocritical brings down the wrath of CMU’s media-relations department.

“The CMU board of trustees has approved the continued use of the nickname ‘Chippewas,’” according to the school’s basketball media guide. “The university’s goals are to use the name with honor and respect, increase supportive connections between CMU and Native Americans and improve efforts to sensitize students, faculty, and staff to Native American traditions and cultures.” Here is where it gets patronizing: “Media representatives have been extremely cooperative as we have worked to address this important issue. In nearly all cases, print and broadcast reporters have supported CMU’s efforts.”

To Central Michigan’s credit, the university has eliminated its old Native American logo as well as depictions of spears from the football team’s helmets, the football field, and the basketball floor. On the basketball floor, the Chippewas are rising from a period that saw the team reach rock bottom with a 1-17 won-loss record in the Mid-American Conference in 2005-06. Under new coach Ernie Ziegler, the team is expected to contend for the Mid-America Conference’s West Division title this season. Ziegler shook up his starting lineup at Williams Arena and inserted 6-2 sophomore guard Jordan Bitzer for his first action of the season. Unfortunately, this proved to be regrettable as Bitzer committed his third foul at the 17:45 minute mark of the first half and was banished for the remainder of the period. Bitzer did finish with five points, including a three-pointer.

Spencer Tollackson led Minnesota with 14 points and six rebounds. The ever-improving Lawrence Westbrook added 11 points, and Lawrence McKenzie chipped in with 10 for the Gophers, who had all 10 players in the scoring column while moving to 3-0 for the first time since the 2002-03 season. Minnesota used a 15-3 run to take a 55-38 lead with 11:25 to play. Tollackson keyed the spurt with six points (five different Gophers scored during the run).

Dan Coleman, who finished with nine points and eight rebounds, increased Minnesota’s lead to 68-44 on 3-point play with just under seven minutes remaining in the game.

The Chippewas were able to get within 16 twice in the last three minutes of the game, the final time on a 3-pointer by Robbie Harman with 1:10 that cut Minnesota’s lead to 75-59 before the Gophers’ Jamal Abu-Shamala scored the final points of the contest from the free throw line. Minnesota finished with a 35-21 rebounding advantage and shot 51 percent from the floor for the game, but it would have been difficult to guess that performance during the early shabby moments of the game. In fact, the gritty Chippewas forged a 29-27 lead in the first half. Minnesota, however, came alive and responded by scoring the final eight points of the half to lead 35-29 at intermission. Tollackson started the run with a jumper then finished things off by drilling a 3-pointer from just inside of midcourt at the buzzer for the final points of the half.

“The first half was sloppy,” commented Tollackson to reporters after the game, “but we were pleased to get the win.” He noted that, in the second half, the Gophers improved their passing, ball-handling, and screen-setting. “We were mad at ourselves” after the first-half performance, he noted. “We were able to get into their passing lanes and go for steals” in the second period.