Gophers Run Past UMD in Exhibition Opener
November 1, 2018
“We were flying up the court,” said Minnesota coach Richard Pitino after his team’s 109-53 win over Minnesota Duluth in an exhibition game at Williams Arena. Pitino had been unhappy with the performance of the Gophers squads in an earlier scrimmage and challenged the players. He called the team’s unselfishness in the win their “greatest strength so far” and noted the motto on the board in the locker room that says “Defend, Rebound, Run.”
The Gophers used the fast break effectively, especially speedy sophomore Isaiah Washington, who came off the bench and led all scorers with 18 points. Freshman center Daniel Oturu added 17 points and had 10 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in his 22 minutes on the court.
Gabe Kalscheur joined Oturu as a freshman in the starting lineup and had 12 points. Another newcomer, Jarvis Omersa, was also in double figures (11 points) as were Jordan Murphy (11), Dupree McBrayer (11), and Brock Stull (10).
With a bigger, stronger, and more skilled team, the Gophers dominated the Bulldogs in all aspects, outscoring UMD 44-6 on fast breaks and 52-18 in the paint.
The Gophers built a 39-point lead in the first half (the margin at halftime was 61-25) and led by as much as 57 late in the game. At one point, Minnesota had a 16-point run, enlarging its lead from 81-46 to 97-46.
Although beaten by 56 points, the Bulldogs did a better job than their downstate counterparts at protecting the ball, having only 13 turnovers versus 23 for the Gophers. UMD was outrebounded 52-30 but showed strength on the offensive boards, getting 8 of their 12 rebounds in the first half off their own missed shots and 13 of 30 overall. Brandon Myer, a junior from Superior, had 5 offensive rebounds and 9 overall. The offensive rebounding helped the Bulldogs to a 14-7 edge in second-chance points.
The “defend” part of the Gophers’ motto was evident in holding the Bulldogs to 28.6 percent shooting from the field.
UMD was the Gophers’ only nonconference opponent this season, and the Gophers now prepare for their regular-season opener, against Omaha, and then another home game against Utah before heading west to take on Texas A & M, Santa Clara, and Washington in the Vancouver Showcase in British Columbia.
Pitino was particularly happy with the work of the freshman, which includes three Minnesotans—Omersa from Orono, Kalscheur from DeLaSalle in Minneapolis, and Oturu from Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul. He expressed hope that more Minnesota high-school stars would see the benefit of committing to their state for basketball and beyond, noting the ongoing success of Lindsay Whalen—a star at Hutchinson High School, the University of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Lynx—who is beginning a career as head coach of the Gophers’ women’s team.