Gophers Win as Thousands Cheer
January 19, 2019

Like a maestro trying to revive a sleepy orchestra, Minnesota Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino waved frantically to the crowd of 11,042 fans to stomp and yell and somehow will his team of underperforming players to victory over an inferior squad representing Penn State University.

After trailing the Nittany Lions by as much as 11 points in the second half, the Gophers managed a 54-53 lead on a DuPree McBrayer free throw and then rattled off seven more points to increase the lead to seven with 5:43 remaining. Next, the Gophers went into a funk, and a Lamar Stevens free throw tied the game at 61 with three and one-half minutes left in the period.

It was then that Pitino turned to the crowd, raised his arms, and gestured for more noise. The crowd responded to the stimulus, inspiring Jordan Murphy to draw a foul, make a free throw and then slam a dunk shot through the rim for a 64-61 lead. But Penn State would not go away. Stevens was fouled in the paint, allowing him to complete a three-point play with only 11 seconds remaining. With only two seconds left on the clock, McBrayer was fouled by Myles Dread and missed the first of two shots. He drilled the next for the final margin of victory. A wild shot by Stevens missed the mark, and Minnesota had a 65-64 victory,

The game had opened with the Gophers still licking their wounds from an inexplicable 95-68 road loss to a dreadful Illinois team. It looked like more of the same at home against Penn State (0-7 in the Big 10).

The Gophers resembled the walking dead as the team quickly fell behind 20-10 on a three-point basket by Stevens who was a one-man wrecking crew, finishing with 27 points.

The crowd sat idly by as Minnesota managed to close the gap to 30-28 on a McBrayer free throw, only to see it slip to 38-30 after a series of empty possessions. Once again, it was Stevens who provided the Lions with the halftime lead with his three-point basket.

Penn State played conservatively, minimizing their shots while playing sound defense. Minnesota, meanwhile, was paralyzed on the attack, despite a short bench that saw only two reserves (Eric Curry and Isiah Washington) used.

Curry served to awaken the regulars with nine points in 24 minutes on the floor. Murphy was a monster on the boards with 21 rebounds to go with 19 points.

“it was no masterpiece,” Pitino said after the game, “but we played hard. We needed to get our fight back after Illinois.”

He lavished praise upon the Gopher fans. “They “were as valuable to us as Murphy’s rebounds were,” he said. “This is the Big 10—home crowds are important.”