McKenzie’s Hot Hand Leads Gophers Past Wolverines
February 21, 2008

Minnesota coach called Lawrence McKenzie a “gamer.” Michigan coach John Beilein had a different word for the Gophers’ guard: “backbreaker.” McKenzie poured in a career-high 26 points as Minnesota beat the Wolverines 69-60 at Williams Arena.

Of his seven three-point baskets, none broke the back harder that his shot from the wing as he spun with a dribble and let fly as the shot clock was expiring. Like the others, this one swished through the basket to give the Gophers a 58-52 lead with just under seven minutes to play. After a Michigan field goal, McKenzie connected on another three-pointer, this one from the top of the key, and the Gophers shut down the Wolverines from there, holding Michigan to just one free throw over the next five minutes. “It was kind of surprising,” McKenzie said of his basket that beat the shot clock, and he credited his outstanding game with his extra work in the gym. “Basketball is a game of confidence,” he remarked after the win. “I took my preparationg to another level.”

McKenzie was hot from the opening tip, sinking three shots from the perimeter in the first few minutes. Lawrence Westbrook also sank a three-pointer, and the Gophers had a 12-5 lead. They extended the margin to double-digits soon after, although the Wolverines, helped by strong offensive rebounding, battled back. Talented freshman Manny Harris finished with 12 points in the first half, alternating drives with jumpers from the paint as the lead changed 11 times in the final eight minutes before Michigan carried a 35-34 lead into the locker room.

Michigan got off to a fast start in the second half, despite seven points by Gophers senior center Spencer Tollackson. However, the Gophers got a lift when Tollackson left the game with a turned ankle, suffered while battling for a defensive rebound, five-and-a-half minutes into the half. Jonathan Williams entered in his place and, in the seven minutes before Tollackson returned, grabbed five rounds and scored five points. Two of the points came on free-throws that tied the score at 49. Soon after, he had a stuff on an alley-oop pass from Blake Hoffarber to give the Gophers a 53-52 lead, a lead they did not relinquish. “I knew I had to step up, do the little things it takes to win,” said Williams of coming in for Tollackson. Williams, who had seven points in the game, added two more rebounds later, giving him eight for the game. It tied his season high and was the second game in a row in which he recorded eight rebounds.

Williams’s work helped offset a strong rebounding effort by Michigan, which had 23 offensive rebounds and 42 total rebounds for the game. “They manhandled us on the boards,” said Smith, quickly adding that his “kids kept their composure, not panicking, handling the pressure.” Smith was happy with the way his team contested the long-range shots of Michigan, who made only five three-pointers. By staying with a man-to-man and not switching off, the Gophers were successful in hounding Michigan into missing 21 of its shots from beyond the arc.

For the game, the Wolverines made only 31.4 percent of their field-goal attempts, leading Beilein to say that they played at “too quick a pace” by taking 70 shots from the floor. “We got back to our old self,” said Beilein, “trying to do too much.” The Wolverines did better with free throws, sinking 11 of 12 from the line. The Gophers also had 11 free throws, but it took them 21 attempts to get those, finishing the game with a lowly 52.4 percent free-throw percentage. From the field, however, the Gophers made more than half their shots, including 10 of 24 three-point attempts. Minnesota is 11-0 this season when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.

Smith started freshman guard Al Nolen in the backcourt, along with McKenzie and Westbrook. Nolen ran the offense, allowing McKenzie to concentrate on scoring.

Although he had a team-high 16 points, Harris had only one assist and turned the ball over five times, leading to a spell on the bench in the latter half of the game, a period in which the Gophers established their dominance.

The Gophers, who had beaten Michigan by 12 on the road a few weeks earlier, were double-digit favorites in the game. However, since the win in Ann Arbor, Minnesota lost three of its next five games; meanwhile, Michigan went in the other direction, losing to Ohio State but then winning its next three games coming into the rematch.

The win upped Minnesota’s record to 16-9, 6-7 in the conference, while Michigan dropped to 8-18, 4-10 in the Big Ten.