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House’s Report: Gophers extend their winning streak, defeat Michigan in overtime
By Daniel House
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/759681?referrer_id=331171
The Minnesota Golden Gophers extended their winning streak to five games after an 83-78 overtime victory against the Michigan Wolverines. Jordan Murphy paved the way with 16 points and Dupree McBrayer added 15. Minnesota picked up their eighth Big Ten win and defeated Michigan for the first time since 2011. In addition, the Gophers notched their 20th win on Feb. 19th, which is the earliest they have done so since 1997.
The Rundown
The Gophers started the game on a 7-0 run over 3:17 and the Michigan low-post players couldn’t handle the strength of Jordan Murphy and Reggie Lynch down low. The Gophers began the game with a 13-4 rebounding advantage over Michigan. The Wolverines went 5:46 without a field goal and the Gophers forced a shot clock violation. However, Michigan eventually got their offense going with back-to-back three-pointers by Mortiz Wagner. The Wolverines went on an 8-0 run and led by three points at the 9-minute mark. The Gophers quickly answered with two made free throws and a three-pointer by Dupree McBrayer to put them back on top. The Gophers went back and forth with the Wolverines throughout the first half until an Akeem Springs three-pointer and Jordan Murphy finish at the rim gave the Gophers a 29-27 lead at the half.
The Gophers traded possessions with the Wolverines in the second half, but a technical foul on the Michigan bench in the final minutes led to four made free throws by Nate Mason and Amir Coffey, extending the Minnesota lead to 62-57. Moments later, Nate Mason drilled a three-pointer and was fouled. He hit the free throw and the Gophers had an eight-point advantage with 2:16 left. However, back-to-back turnovers by Minnesota and a three-point play by Derrick Walton Jr. pulled the Wolverines within three points with 1:03 remaining. Moments later, Michigan’s D.J. Wilson drained a three-pointer to send the game into overtime tied at 72.
Overtime in the Barn
In overtime, a Dupree McBrayer miss and Jordan Murphy follow-up slam put the Gophers up 76-75. Michigan went to the line with a chance for two free throws, but Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman missed them both. Amir Coffey hit two free throws and the Gophers led by three with seconds left. Michigan attempted a three-pointer on the next possession and Jordan Murphy had a massive rebound to nearly seal the deal. However, D.J. Wilson would hit another three-pointer to pull the Wolverines within one-point. Moments later, two made free throws by Amir Coffey had the Gophers on top 81-78 with seconds left. Michigan’s Derrick Walton Jr. attempted a three-pointer, and it was off the mark, propelling the Gophers to an 83-78 victory.
Gophers use strength down low
Minnesota did a great job of attacking the Wolverines down low during the early stages of the game. Michigan had more athletic big-men, but the Gophers used their strength advantage down low to get off to a quick start. Reggie Lynch and Jordan Murphy were isolated on the block and won their 1-on-1 matchups. Lynch picked up one foul and went to the bench and the Gophers had a stretch where they didn’t attack the Wolverines down low. They went away from what was working for a short period of time, but attacked with post players more in the second half. Jordan Murphy continued his solid play, scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. The Gophers are a different team when Murphy can get involved and reach his maximum potential.
At times, Michigan overplayed the Gophers’ guards and Nate Mason continued to dribble too much at the top of the key. Had Mason distributed the ball quicker, there would have been options for easy baskets around the rim. This was especially the case in the second half. Minnesota went away from attacking as much down low, but when they did, it was very effective. In addition, Nate Mason had a wasted possession out of a timeout during the final minutes, leading to an ill-advised shot.
Eric Curry had several timely jumpers in the first half and continues to provide efficient minutes for the Gophers. He had 12 points in 35 minutes and is so so valuable on both ends of the court. Several of his timely rebounds, deflections, and scoring outbursts have been critical down the stretch. He has provided a spark in the final minutes when Reggie Lynch has gone to the bench with consistent foul trouble.
The rebounding advantage
Michigan had trouble rebounding the basketball and it led to a high number of offensive boards for the Gophers. At the 5-minute mark of the first half, the Gophers had five offensive rebounds and nine second chance points. Minnesota was winning the battle down low and Jordan Murphy had two and-one opportunities in the first half. Michigan had no answer for the Gophers’ physicality down low and it led to easy baskets around the rim. In the end, Minnesota won the rebounding battle 44-31 and had 19 second chance points. Michigan didn’t have any and Minnesota did an excellent job of controlling the glass on both ends.
Limited guard play in the first half
The Gophers didn’t get much scoring output from their guards in the first half. Nate Mason had just two points and Amir Coffey didn’t score. Dupree McBrayer had five points off the bench, but the Gophers couldn’t get consistent scoring from their guards. In addition, Akeem Springs had just five points and again struggled from the field. He was 2-for-6 in the first half, but had a big three-pointer. Springs has been off over the last two games and cannot seem to get shots to fall.
Dupree McBrayer provided a huge spark from the guards in this game, scoring 15 points. He had several critical free throws down the stretch and finally put together a good performance. Nate Mason awoke in the final minutes, scoring 13 points, including a huge four-point play. The Gophers didn’t get consistent guard play in the first half, which kept this game close throughout. Amir Coffey had only nine points in the game, but he drained all six of his free throws attempts down the stretch.
Free throw shooting woes
The Gophers left a number of points on the court during the first half. Minnesota shot just 5-for-12 from the free throw line in first 20 minutes. Jordan Murphy went 0-for-3 and Nate Mason was just 2-for-4. Minnesota had several opportunities to finish three-point plays, but couldn’t hit their free throws. The Gophers had chances to extend their lead in the first half and free throws were costly.
Nonetheless, a technical foul on the Michigan bench led to a pair of made free throws by Amir Coffey and Nate Mason, extending the lead to five points in the final minutes. In addition, Dupree McBrayer hit two huge free throws to keep the Minnesota advantage at three points with seconds left. The Gophers made their free throws down the stretch, but still were just 28-for-41 from the line. If they had made early free throws, the game wouldn’t have been nearly as close.
On the other side, Michigan was 9-for-18 and allowed Minnesota to get to the line 41 times. In the postgame press conference, John Beilein couldn’t recall the last time one of his teams allowed that many free throws in a single game.
What’s Next?
The Gophers will travel to Maryland on Wednesday night for a matchup with the Terrapins. Tip is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
By Daniel House
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/759681?referrer_id=331171
The Minnesota Golden Gophers extended their winning streak to five games after an 83-78 overtime victory against the Michigan Wolverines. Jordan Murphy paved the way with 16 points and Dupree McBrayer added 15. Minnesota picked up their eighth Big Ten win and defeated Michigan for the first time since 2011. In addition, the Gophers notched their 20th win on Feb. 19th, which is the earliest they have done so since 1997.
The Rundown
The Gophers started the game on a 7-0 run over 3:17 and the Michigan low-post players couldn’t handle the strength of Jordan Murphy and Reggie Lynch down low. The Gophers began the game with a 13-4 rebounding advantage over Michigan. The Wolverines went 5:46 without a field goal and the Gophers forced a shot clock violation. However, Michigan eventually got their offense going with back-to-back three-pointers by Mortiz Wagner. The Wolverines went on an 8-0 run and led by three points at the 9-minute mark. The Gophers quickly answered with two made free throws and a three-pointer by Dupree McBrayer to put them back on top. The Gophers went back and forth with the Wolverines throughout the first half until an Akeem Springs three-pointer and Jordan Murphy finish at the rim gave the Gophers a 29-27 lead at the half.
The Gophers traded possessions with the Wolverines in the second half, but a technical foul on the Michigan bench in the final minutes led to four made free throws by Nate Mason and Amir Coffey, extending the Minnesota lead to 62-57. Moments later, Nate Mason drilled a three-pointer and was fouled. He hit the free throw and the Gophers had an eight-point advantage with 2:16 left. However, back-to-back turnovers by Minnesota and a three-point play by Derrick Walton Jr. pulled the Wolverines within three points with 1:03 remaining. Moments later, Michigan’s D.J. Wilson drained a three-pointer to send the game into overtime tied at 72.
Overtime in the Barn
In overtime, a Dupree McBrayer miss and Jordan Murphy follow-up slam put the Gophers up 76-75. Michigan went to the line with a chance for two free throws, but Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman missed them both. Amir Coffey hit two free throws and the Gophers led by three with seconds left. Michigan attempted a three-pointer on the next possession and Jordan Murphy had a massive rebound to nearly seal the deal. However, D.J. Wilson would hit another three-pointer to pull the Wolverines within one-point. Moments later, two made free throws by Amir Coffey had the Gophers on top 81-78 with seconds left. Michigan’s Derrick Walton Jr. attempted a three-pointer, and it was off the mark, propelling the Gophers to an 83-78 victory.
Gophers use strength down low
Minnesota did a great job of attacking the Wolverines down low during the early stages of the game. Michigan had more athletic big-men, but the Gophers used their strength advantage down low to get off to a quick start. Reggie Lynch and Jordan Murphy were isolated on the block and won their 1-on-1 matchups. Lynch picked up one foul and went to the bench and the Gophers had a stretch where they didn’t attack the Wolverines down low. They went away from what was working for a short period of time, but attacked with post players more in the second half. Jordan Murphy continued his solid play, scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. The Gophers are a different team when Murphy can get involved and reach his maximum potential.
At times, Michigan overplayed the Gophers’ guards and Nate Mason continued to dribble too much at the top of the key. Had Mason distributed the ball quicker, there would have been options for easy baskets around the rim. This was especially the case in the second half. Minnesota went away from attacking as much down low, but when they did, it was very effective. In addition, Nate Mason had a wasted possession out of a timeout during the final minutes, leading to an ill-advised shot.
Eric Curry had several timely jumpers in the first half and continues to provide efficient minutes for the Gophers. He had 12 points in 35 minutes and is so so valuable on both ends of the court. Several of his timely rebounds, deflections, and scoring outbursts have been critical down the stretch. He has provided a spark in the final minutes when Reggie Lynch has gone to the bench with consistent foul trouble.
The rebounding advantage
Michigan had trouble rebounding the basketball and it led to a high number of offensive boards for the Gophers. At the 5-minute mark of the first half, the Gophers had five offensive rebounds and nine second chance points. Minnesota was winning the battle down low and Jordan Murphy had two and-one opportunities in the first half. Michigan had no answer for the Gophers’ physicality down low and it led to easy baskets around the rim. In the end, Minnesota won the rebounding battle 44-31 and had 19 second chance points. Michigan didn’t have any and Minnesota did an excellent job of controlling the glass on both ends.
Limited guard play in the first half
The Gophers didn’t get much scoring output from their guards in the first half. Nate Mason had just two points and Amir Coffey didn’t score. Dupree McBrayer had five points off the bench, but the Gophers couldn’t get consistent scoring from their guards. In addition, Akeem Springs had just five points and again struggled from the field. He was 2-for-6 in the first half, but had a big three-pointer. Springs has been off over the last two games and cannot seem to get shots to fall.
Dupree McBrayer provided a huge spark from the guards in this game, scoring 15 points. He had several critical free throws down the stretch and finally put together a good performance. Nate Mason awoke in the final minutes, scoring 13 points, including a huge four-point play. The Gophers didn’t get consistent guard play in the first half, which kept this game close throughout. Amir Coffey had only nine points in the game, but he drained all six of his free throws attempts down the stretch.
Free throw shooting woes
The Gophers left a number of points on the court during the first half. Minnesota shot just 5-for-12 from the free throw line in first 20 minutes. Jordan Murphy went 0-for-3 and Nate Mason was just 2-for-4. Minnesota had several opportunities to finish three-point plays, but couldn’t hit their free throws. The Gophers had chances to extend their lead in the first half and free throws were costly.
Nonetheless, a technical foul on the Michigan bench led to a pair of made free throws by Amir Coffey and Nate Mason, extending the lead to five points in the final minutes. In addition, Dupree McBrayer hit two huge free throws to keep the Minnesota advantage at three points with seconds left. The Gophers made their free throws down the stretch, but still were just 28-for-41 from the line. If they had made early free throws, the game wouldn’t have been nearly as close.
On the other side, Michigan was 9-for-18 and allowed Minnesota to get to the line 41 times. In the postgame press conference, John Beilein couldn’t recall the last time one of his teams allowed that many free throws in a single game.
What’s Next?
The Gophers will travel to Maryland on Wednesday night for a matchup with the Terrapins. Tip is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
