Gophers “Scrap Out” 58-53 Win over Princeton
Saturday, January 10, 2004

Packing the lane and dominating the boards, the Minnesota Gophers raised their season record to 8-5 with a 58-53 non-conference win over the Princeton Tigers at Williams Arena on Saturday night, January 10.

Princeton got a pair of layups by first five minutes, the second as Judson Wallace hit Andre Logan with a backdoor pass. A minute later Logan hit a three-pointer that tied the game 7-7. But Minnesota rattled off the next 10 points and limited Princeton to only one other field goal in the lane in the half, outscoring Princeton in the paint, 16-6, in the first half. Combined with a 16-8 edge in rebounding, the Gophers led at halftime, 31-25. “They backcut and we got surprised early,” said Gophers coach Dan Monson. But Minnesota shut down the Princeton Tigers over the remainder of the game, a feat Monson credits to assistant coach Mike Peterson’s game plan.

Minnesota opened up a double-figure lead at several points in the second half, its largest margin reaching 11 on two occasions. The teams traded baskets, and the score was 48-40 for Minnesota when the Tigers started their comeback with just under seven minutes to play. It started with Wallace, the Tigers’ leading rebounder, deflecting a missed three-pointer by teammate Scott Greenman, keeping it alive for Princeton, and then connecting on a hook shot 20 seconds later. Harrison Schaen then made a three-point play to cut the Minnesota lead to three.

“Because they were sagging so much, we were taking our shots too quickly,” said Princeton coach John Thompson, explaining his team’s problems through the first 30 minutes. “We got back in it when we stuck with our offense and got better shots.”

The Princeton defense helped with the comeback, forcing a pair of turnovers, including a steal by Will Venable that he turned into a breakaway layup to tie the game, 48-48 with 2:42 to go. Kris Humphries, who finished with 21 points, put the Gophers back in front by two with a pair of free throws.

Then came a key play and key call. As Andre Logan was passing off to Ed Persia in the left corner, he was called for charging. Thompson reacted strongly enough to get a technical foul, and Adam Boone, who had all of his 10 points in the second half, made one of two free throws to make the score 51-48 with 1:31 left. When asked about the call after the game, Thompson started to answer, then said, “I won’t comment on it,” adding a few seconds later, “There’s a whole lotta calls I won’t comment on.”

Minnesota increased its lead as Ben Johnson hit a pair of layups and then a fast-break layup, and the Gophers held on for a 57-53 win, a game in which Monson said his squad “scrapped out” a win.

It was the first time these teams met in more than 19 years, since Minnesota, in another defensive battle, beat the Tigers, 46-44, on December 8, 1984.

The Gophers, with a one-game break from their Big Ten schedule, upped their season record to 8-5. Princeton, which evened its record at 6-6, has yet to play an Ivy League game.