Gophers Stumble but Recover to Win by 15
November 9 and November 18, 2012

Bring on the Dookies!

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s basketball Golden Gophers prepared for their a Thanksgiving Day matchup with perennial powerhouse Duke University by overcoming Richmond, 72-57, in a game at Williams Arena Sunday night that was much closer than the final score indicates.

The Gophers Trailed the methodical Spiders by seven points with less than 10 minutes to go in the contest, but a 12-0 run by Minnesota created a 54-49 advantage, one that Richmond could not overcome.

Richmond’s fastidious, Princeton-style offense had the Gophers off balance for three-quarters of the game and had the announced crowd of 11,341 buzzing in disbelief. Most were unaware that Richmond was a Sweet Sixteen participant in the 2011 NCAA Tournament and is a contender for first place in the highly-regarded Atlantic 10 Conference along with Butler and Saint Louis. Teams displaying a disciplined offense have given the Gophers fits past years, and Sunday’s match was no exception until guard Andre Hollins scored on a jump shot, followed by a layup basket and a three-pointer. He finished with 14 points, second to only Rodney Williams who had 15.

The lineup that finally clicked for the Gophers was one that included center Trevor Mbakwe who contributed nine points and a dozen rebounds to the team’s overall effort.

The previous Thursday, Minnesota hammered Tennesse State at home, 72-43, with Williams scoring 15 points and snaring seven rebounds.

Tennesse figured to prove more of a challenge to the Gophers, coming of a 20-win season in 2011-2012 and an appearance in the postseason College Insider Tournament. The Tigers were led by NBA prospect 6-9 forward Robert Covington. Instead, the Gophers raced to an early lead and never trailed in the contest. The Tigers reduced the deficit to eight points with four minutes left in the half but were down by 18 at the intermission.

Minnesota committed 17 turnovers in the game but outrebounded Tennesse State 46-37 and shot 48 percent from the field. The Tigers had a 24 percent shooting night. Covington fouled out with 10 points and only three rebounds.

Coach Tubby Smith praised the Gophers’ defensive effort, which created 20 Tiger turnovers. “We hang our hat on defense,” the coach said, “because it gives us the best chance to win.”

In addition to Williams, Andre Hollins finished with 13 points and Austin Hollins 12.