Three Thoughts from Gophers 72-68 win vs. No. 12 Syracuse!

Jared.Hines

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On Thursday night, the Minnesota Golden Gophers welcomed fans into Williams Arena for a "Gold Out" in which fans were given T-Shirts ahead of the Gophers big matchup vs. No. 12 ranked Syracuse.

What transpired in the next 40 minutes was a lot of offensive rebounds, another impressive defensive performance and lots of made free throws helping push Whalen and Co. past the Orange en route to a 6-0 start.

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Offensive Rebounds: In the first half alone, Minnesota was able to control the offensive boards over Syracuse, leading to nine second chance points off of 11 rebounds. The agressive nature of the Gophers offense allowed Minnesota to maintain an early lead that the team was able to hold onto throughout the second half. The Golden Gophers finished with 50 total rebounds and 23 of them on offense. Bello led the team with 18 rebounds while Lamke added 13.


Defense, Defense! After three years of ranking towards the bottom in opponent points per game, the Gophers came into Thursday's game ranked second in the nation, allowing just 47.0 points per game. While the Orange soared past that average in the fourth quarter, the team's new push towards defense under Whalen is one of the biggest reasons the team is 6-0 to start the season.

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Free Throw Shooting: Despite shooting just 35-percent from the field, Minnesota got to the line an astounding 31 times in Thursday's victory, making 23 of their attempts. Syracuse shot just six free throws in the game, making five. The advantage from the charity stripe ended up being huge in the second half as the Orange continued to foul Minnesota down the stretch.



Lindsay Whalen's postgame press conference will be posted on the GopherHole YouTube Channel shortly after it concludes.
 

Wow! Nice game tonight! Gals are doing very well this year during their era with the new coaching staff. Keep it up!
 

Wow! Nice game tonight! Gals are doing very well this year during their era with the new coaching staff. Keep it up!

The improvements are obvious and in cases not complicated. Whay had them prepared with a few simple sets to break the press and for the most part they were successful. The D and rebounding as mentioned above have made huge strides. I moved my seats to be behind the bench because I really have enjoyed Whay coach. Go Gophers !
 

Lindsay Whalen said it: "Maintaining poise and the ability to switch up" will make them a tough opponent moving forward. Improvements in team defense may add a few more wins.

Whalen has the ability to maximize players' potential. A good case in point: the improvements of Annalese Lamke.
 
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Lindsay Whalen said it: "Maintaining poise and the ability to switch up" will make them a tough opponent moving forward. Improvements in team defense may add a few more wins.

Whalen has the ability to maximize players' potential. A good case in point: the improvements of Annalese Lamke.

Fernstrom must think, "Why couldn't have Lindsay coached me last year?"
 





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