DanielHouse
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The Gophers were not only tested by a tough team on Wednesday night, but managed to overcome adversity. Minnesota shot just 26 percent in the first half and did enough keep the game close on the defensive end. Washington led by five points with under three minutes remaining, until Jordan Murphy made a slick dunk in the post off a great feed by guard Isaiah Washington.
Minnesota trailed 66-65 with 13 seconds remaining as Isaiah Washington advanced the ball up the court. He tossed the pass to Gabe Kalscheur in the corner, who took one dribble and drilled an off-balance game-winning three-pointer with just two seconds on the clock.
Kalscheur finished the night with just nine points, but each of them came at the most critical moments of the game.
The Huskies were an excellent test for the Gophers with three players listed on the Preseason All-Pac-12 list. Entering the game, Washington was ranked No. 48 in the KenPom rankings and will be a team in the NCAA Tournament hunt. Senior forward Noah Dickerson, sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell and senior small forward Matisse Thybulle all featured size, shooting and defensive ability. Washington also runs a tough zone defense and Minnesota just couldn’t get off shots with all of the wingspan around the arc. When the Gophers had open looks, they simply couldn’t knock them down, either.
In the early stages of the game, Minnesota missed many opportunities to break the zone when guards were unable to find a flashing Jordan Murphy in the high post. They didn’t attack the high post enough to beat Washington’s zone. One positive example came when Gabe Kalscheur delivered a sweet pass to Oturu for a nice finish at the rim.
The Gophers faced a more six-minute scoring drought in the first half and had six turnovers over the same stretch, including two offensive fouls. Washington made just one of its eight shots as both teams struggled to shoot the ball well in the first half. The Gophers had a stretch in the first half where they made just one shot in 12 attempts, yet they trailed by less than five points for most of the first 20 minutes. Minnesota shot 26 percent and had ten turnovers as they struggled to attack the Huskies’ zone defense. They also made just two field goals in the final 13:46 of the first half.
When Brock Stull entered in the second half, Minnesota was finally able to hit passes to the high-post and short corner for Jordan Murphy. They were far more aggressive getting the ball inside and it helped their offense come to life.
Jordan Murphy didn’t have a single shot in the first half and Minnesota had trouble quickly getting him the ball. Much of the Gophers’ offense featured Amir Coffey dribbling, attacking and throwing up a contested jumper. All of Minnesota’s guards took tough shots because they couldn’t find a way to attack the zone. Once they finally found Murphy, his game came to life. Isaiah Washington had several quality feeds to the post and the Gophers’ top big-man did the rest. Murphy had 18 points and 11 rebounds after starting the game slow.
As the tempo started to elevate in the second half, Minnesota’s offense showed signs of life. A deflection by Gabe Kalscheur on defense created a transition layup for Amir Coffey. Several possessions later, guard Brock Stull delivered two beautiful passes to Jordan Murphy, one for a huge slam. The Gophers also played some tough man-to-man defense and held Washington scoreless over a five-minute stretch of the second half. The Huskies went on several small runs, but a three-pointer by Gabe Kalscheur with 7:34 remaining, helped trim the Washington lead to two points. The run continued as Murphy advanced the ball to Coffey, who sprinted the floor for a slick transition layup. Minnesota managed to stay within striking distance despite the strong defense by Washington.
Minnesota has an added element on both ends of the court when center Matz Stockman enters and can help clog the interior of the paint. In one set of possessions, the Gophers reversed the ball three times and found Stockman in the paint to put him on the free throw line. When Daniel Oturu went to the bench with four fouls, Stockman played additional minutes. It was easy to see when he started to become fatigued, though. The Huskies got an easy transition basket when Stockman jogged down the floor and fouled Noah Dickerson for a three-point-play. Nonetheless, Stockman provided huge stability in the second half, playing 17 minutes and scoring eight points.
Throughout the night, Minnesota occasionally extended pressure near mid-court and dropped back into zone to cause two shot clock violations. When they deploy this defense, teams have trouble attacking them because of all the wingspan and size they have in the paint.
The Gophers left plenty of points at the free throw line in the first half as they made just seven of their 15 attempts. They managed to slightly recover in the second half, finishing 22-for-33 from the line. Kalscheur not only had the biggest shot of the game, but hit three critical free throws in the final minutes to cut the Washington lead to two points.
Minnesota trailed 66-65 with 13 seconds remaining as Isaiah Washington advanced the ball up the court. He tossed the pass to Gabe Kalscheur in the corner, who took one dribble and drilled an off-balance game-winning three-pointer with just two seconds on the clock.
Kalscheur finished the night with just nine points, but each of them came at the most critical moments of the game.
The Huskies were an excellent test for the Gophers with three players listed on the Preseason All-Pac-12 list. Entering the game, Washington was ranked No. 48 in the KenPom rankings and will be a team in the NCAA Tournament hunt. Senior forward Noah Dickerson, sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell and senior small forward Matisse Thybulle all featured size, shooting and defensive ability. Washington also runs a tough zone defense and Minnesota just couldn’t get off shots with all of the wingspan around the arc. When the Gophers had open looks, they simply couldn’t knock them down, either.
In the early stages of the game, Minnesota missed many opportunities to break the zone when guards were unable to find a flashing Jordan Murphy in the high post. They didn’t attack the high post enough to beat Washington’s zone. One positive example came when Gabe Kalscheur delivered a sweet pass to Oturu for a nice finish at the rim.
The Gophers faced a more six-minute scoring drought in the first half and had six turnovers over the same stretch, including two offensive fouls. Washington made just one of its eight shots as both teams struggled to shoot the ball well in the first half. The Gophers had a stretch in the first half where they made just one shot in 12 attempts, yet they trailed by less than five points for most of the first 20 minutes. Minnesota shot 26 percent and had ten turnovers as they struggled to attack the Huskies’ zone defense. They also made just two field goals in the final 13:46 of the first half.
When Brock Stull entered in the second half, Minnesota was finally able to hit passes to the high-post and short corner for Jordan Murphy. They were far more aggressive getting the ball inside and it helped their offense come to life.
Jordan Murphy didn’t have a single shot in the first half and Minnesota had trouble quickly getting him the ball. Much of the Gophers’ offense featured Amir Coffey dribbling, attacking and throwing up a contested jumper. All of Minnesota’s guards took tough shots because they couldn’t find a way to attack the zone. Once they finally found Murphy, his game came to life. Isaiah Washington had several quality feeds to the post and the Gophers’ top big-man did the rest. Murphy had 18 points and 11 rebounds after starting the game slow.
As the tempo started to elevate in the second half, Minnesota’s offense showed signs of life. A deflection by Gabe Kalscheur on defense created a transition layup for Amir Coffey. Several possessions later, guard Brock Stull delivered two beautiful passes to Jordan Murphy, one for a huge slam. The Gophers also played some tough man-to-man defense and held Washington scoreless over a five-minute stretch of the second half. The Huskies went on several small runs, but a three-pointer by Gabe Kalscheur with 7:34 remaining, helped trim the Washington lead to two points. The run continued as Murphy advanced the ball to Coffey, who sprinted the floor for a slick transition layup. Minnesota managed to stay within striking distance despite the strong defense by Washington.
Minnesota has an added element on both ends of the court when center Matz Stockman enters and can help clog the interior of the paint. In one set of possessions, the Gophers reversed the ball three times and found Stockman in the paint to put him on the free throw line. When Daniel Oturu went to the bench with four fouls, Stockman played additional minutes. It was easy to see when he started to become fatigued, though. The Huskies got an easy transition basket when Stockman jogged down the floor and fouled Noah Dickerson for a three-point-play. Nonetheless, Stockman provided huge stability in the second half, playing 17 minutes and scoring eight points.
Throughout the night, Minnesota occasionally extended pressure near mid-court and dropped back into zone to cause two shot clock violations. When they deploy this defense, teams have trouble attacking them because of all the wingspan and size they have in the paint.
The Gophers left plenty of points at the free throw line in the first half as they made just seven of their 15 attempts. They managed to slightly recover in the second half, finishing 22-for-33 from the line. Kalscheur not only had the biggest shot of the game, but hit three critical free throws in the final minutes to cut the Washington lead to two points.