Gophers Hang on for 63-59 Win over Bison
December 22, 2011

“It still feels hollow,” said Saul Phillips after his North Dakota State Bison lost to Minnesota 63-59. “Losing stinks.”

“It was certainly one of those heart stoppers for us,” said Minnesota coach Tubby Smith. “We knew it was going to be a real battle. North Dakota state was going to bring out their best.”

The Bison arrived in Minneapolis a day before the game and were treated to news stories about how they were going to be nothing more than a “tune up” for Minnesota as the Gophers prepared for Big Ten play. However, North Dakota State quickly showed that it would not be an automatic win and jumped to a 14-2 lead before full-court pressure by the Gophers began to disrupt the Bisons’ flow. Guard Taylor Braun said the press caught them off-guard. Phillips, however, said they expected it and tried to prepare by watching film, but, “It’s different when those guys are in your face.”

A 10-point run by the Gophers, capped by an under-the-basket pass from Maverick Ahanmisi to a charging Rodney Williams for a dunk, tied the game 19-19 with five-and-a-half minutes left in the half. A flurry of offense by both finished the period with the Gophers holding a 32-29 lead at halftime.

The Gophers extended the lead to nine points in the second half, but the Bison came back, powered by strong work on the boards. North Dakota State outrebounded Minnesota 23-9 in the second half and 39-28 in the game. “They killed us on the boards,” said Smith. “That was disappointing.”

The Bison took a 53-52 lead, but Maverick Ahanmisi tied the game with a free throw and then put the Gophers ahead to stay with a pair of lay ups. Ahanmisi, starting at point guard, may have had the best game of his career. He made all four of his shots from the field, the two lay ups in the second half and two first-half three-pointers to go with three rebounds and a team-high three steals and three assists. “He was on tonight. He played well. He played with a lot of poise,” Smith said after the game.

Senior center Ralph Sampson led the Gophers with 15 points; he also had six rebounds and half of the team’s eight blocks. Rodney Williams scored 14 and had 8 rebounds.

For the Bison, Braun and Dylan Hale, who played at Washburn High School in Minneapolis, had 13 points, and Braun led all players with 11 rebounds. Marshall Bjorklund, from Arlington, Minnesota, had nine rebounds and nine points. Mike Felt from Redwood Falls came off the bench and made three three-pointers. Another Minnesota player, Eric Carlson from Shakopee, played seven minutes in only his second game since missing nine games because of a broken jaw.

North Dakota State started four sophomores—Braun, Hale, Bjorklund, and TrayVonn Wright—and one freshman, point-guard Lawrence Alexander, who had 11 points and 4 assists. The four sophomores were all starters last season.

”We’re an athletic team, and our athletes are young,” said Phillips, adding that this leaves them with a lot of optimism for the future. Phillips said that a lot of his players were recruited after the Bison played a strong game against Kansas in the NCAA tournament at the Metrodome in 2009.

Phillips noted that the Bison and Gophers have one year remaining on their contract to play in Minneapolis and hopes that will be extended. Even more, he hopes the Gophers would come to North Dakota for a game in the Fargodome. “I’d love that. I’d cook for them.”

Told of the offer, Smith said, “That’s not going to be enough.”