Gophers Bulldoze Buckeyes
January 8, 2017
After coming from behind to score wins at West Lafayette and Evanston, the Minnesota Golden Gophers went home to defeat Ohio State, in a game they quickly seized the lead and never trailed.
After Akeem Springs hit a three-point basket to give Minnesota a 16-3 lead, the crowd of 11,267 exploded in cheers, expecting a blowout over the Buckeyes. However, Ohio State would not be put down so easily.
Bakery Konate jammed home a dunk shot to put the Gophers ahead by 33 to 19, but the team suddenly went cold, and the Buckeyes took advantage. Minnesota became stuck on 33 while Ohio State went on an 8-0 run, and closed the lead to 38-27 at halftime.
The Gophers became less confident in the second half. Last season, the Buckeyes toyed with the Gophers before pounding them 78-63 in Columbus and were determined to repeat that performance at Williams Arena. A six-point run to start the period closed the contest to 38-33, and Ohio State continued applying the pressure.
A three-point basket by Marc Loving drew OSU to within 49-45 with 11 and one-half minutes left in the period.
A Springs layup basket put Minnesota up 53-45, but JaQuan Lyle hit a three-pointer, and the lead shrank to four again nearing the six-minute mark.
A resounding Amir Coffey dunk put Minnesota up by seven, but Buckeye baskets by JaeSean Tate and Trevor Thompson cut the lead to 62-59 with four minutes left on the clock, but the Buckeyes ran out of gas.
Another three-point basket by Springs with two minutes left made it 69-60, and Minnesota coasted from there. Tate led all scorers with 20 points.
At halftime, the crowd had gleefully responded to the presence of newly-minted Gopher football coach P.J. Fleck who regaled them with visions of Rose Bowls before tossing a few bowls to the ageless Red Panda Lady who performed her time-tested balancing act.
The audience left the arena with happy memories, including their money’s worth of a 78-68 Gopher win, red pandas, and an up-close view of the new football coach.
“I’m proud of our guys,” basketball coach Richard Pitino told reporters after the game. “Springs was terrific, and Coffey was fantastic,” he said. Coffey had 19 points, and super-sub Springs 18.
“We’ve been very poised the last three games,” Pitino said, “but we need to continue to rebound better.” Ohio State out-rebounded the Gophers 45-39 and in offensive boards 15-12.
Buckeye coach Thad Matta appeared dazed after the Gopher win. “We started the game with too many turnovers,” he said, “but we were able to cut into their lead, then we missed open shots.”