Gophers Roar Past Nittany Lions 79-59
January 11, 2009

Outscoring Penn State by 10 points in each half, the Minnesota Gophers upped their Big Ten record to 3-1 (15-1 overall) by beating the Nittany Lions 79-59.

The Gophers shot well—making 57.7 percent of their shots from the field, including all nine three-point attempts—and played a strong defensive game, particularly with full-court pressure. Although the Lions had only 14 turnovers, coach Ed DeChellis acknowledged that the pressure bothered their offensive efforts.

Penn State made only four of its 17 field-goal attempts before starting to connect on a flurry of three-points midway through the first half to get the Minnesota lead as low as three points. However, the Gophers came finished with a surge and carried a 40-30 lead into the locker room.

A pair of junior-college transfers, Devron Bostick and Paul Carter, played key roles in building the first-half leads. Bostick hit back-to-back three-pointers and added a two-point basket before Penn State closed the gap. Carter, who had hit a three-pointer earlier, then had three baskets in helping the Gophers finish the half on a 9-2 run. Bostick and Carter finished the game as the high scorers for the Gophers with 19 and 14 points, respectively.

Minnesota coach Tubby Smith talked about the adjustments that junior-college players have to make. “It’s like going into a different class. The fundamentals are the same, but the terminology, the system, and the offense and defense are different. It takes about half a year,” Smith said, adding that these players, after being the go-to guy in junior college, have to get used to coming off the bench and having a different role on the team. “Both of those kids [Bostick and Carter] had good junior college coaches. That’s why we recruited them—because we knew they were capable of doing what they’re doing now.”

DeChellis noted the challenges of playing a team with as much depth as Minnesota. “We have to guard them all. You never know who’s going to play well for them. It’s hard to concentrate on who you’re going to guard because they play so many guys.” DeChellis also said he hoped the Gophers would cool down on their three-point shooting and allow the Nittany Lions to get back into the game. “That never happened.”

Sophomore Talor Battle of Penn State led all scorers with 19 points and was also game-high with nine assists.

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