DanielHouse
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When the Gophers hosted No. 21 Iowa, two of the country’s top post players met. Daniel Oturu and Luka Garza didn’t disappoint in front of a sellout crowd at Williams Arena.
With its NCAA Tournament hopes dangling by a thread, Minnesota led by eight points with 5:25 remaining. After a deep 3-pointer by Payton Willis, everything came to a screeching halt. The Gophers were held scoreless in the final minutes during a 58-55 loss to Iowa. Daniel Oturu led Minnesota with 15 points and six rebounds, but poor late-game execution was costly.
In addition to committing five turnovers in the final five minutes, the Gophers picked up two backcourt violations in a one-minute span. All day, Minnesota simply had no answer for the Hawkeyes’ extended press and zone defense. The ball wasn’t getting to the middle, which led to inefficient possessions. This loss puts a significant dent in the team’s tournament chances. Now, the Gophers likely need to win all of their remaining games to find a postseason path.
The Rundown
Luka Garza quickly asserted himself and scored the Hawkeyes’ first ten points. He hit two baseline jumpers and muscled his way through Alihan Demir in the post. The Gophers missed five consecutive jumpers and continued to struggle from behind the arc. Minnesota converted just one of its first eight 3-point attempts until Willis drilled a deep trey.
With 12 minutes left in the first half, the Gophers trimmed Iowa’s double-digit lead to three points. Minnesota received valuable minutes from true freshman Isaiah Ihnen. Ihnen grabbed two offensive boards, blocked a shot and stepped outside for a deep 3-pointer. He provided key defensive minutes and is improving as the season progresses. His length was valuable against an Iowa team filled with size. Ihnen finished Sunday's game with five points and four rebounds in 16 minutes.
Near the midway point of the first half, the Gophers went on a 1-for-9 scoring drought until Gabe Kalscheur aggressively finished at the rim. After Garza hit the bench with two fouls, Minnesota went on a 14-0 run and grabbed a 28-21 lead. The Gophers’ surge was fueled by Kalscheur’s shooting. He finally drilled three shots, including a deep trey. He also continued to make an impact defensively and forced a shot-clock violation.
Early in the first half, Minnesota snatched eight offensive rebounds, which extended numerous possessions. The Gophers’ stingy team defense was one of the reasons why they dug out of an early hole. Each guard denied the wing and help side rotations were strong. Minnesota shot just 29.7 percent in the first half, but limited turnovers and aggressively attacked the glass. The trend quickly changed over the final 20 minutes.
In the second half, this game's physicality jumped to another level. Each team was muscling into the post and fighting for every basket. Out of halftime, it was clear the Gophers wanted to create more touches inside. Richard Pitino isolated Oturu on the block and he beautifully finished at the rim. Iowa found Cordell Pemsl in the post and cut the Gophers’ lead to one point with 10:37 remaining. However, Marcus Carr quickly responded with a deep 3-pointer. On the next possession, Kalscheur drove down the baseline and beautifully dished to Oturu for a dunk. Shortly after, Garza went to the bench with four fouls. Despite being in foul trouble for most of the game, Garza still led all scorers with 24 points and eight rebounds.
Throughout this game, the Gophers had no answer for Iowa’s zone defense. Minnesota didn’t move the ball quick enough and struggled to get inside. Inefficient offensive possessions allowed the Hawkeyes to remain within striking distance. The Gophers committed five turnovers during a five-minute span in the second half. A deep trey by Connor McCaffrey tied the game at 47 with 6:14 left. However, Minnesota’s backcourt responded. Kalscheur and Willis hit back-to-back 3-pointers to stretch the Gophers’ lead to eight points with 5:25 remaining. The game’s momentum looked like it was shifting, but inefficient possessions and poor execution proved costly. Iowa responded by posting an 11-0 run and escaped with a 58-55 road win.
With its NCAA Tournament hopes dangling by a thread, Minnesota led by eight points with 5:25 remaining. After a deep 3-pointer by Payton Willis, everything came to a screeching halt. The Gophers were held scoreless in the final minutes during a 58-55 loss to Iowa. Daniel Oturu led Minnesota with 15 points and six rebounds, but poor late-game execution was costly.
In addition to committing five turnovers in the final five minutes, the Gophers picked up two backcourt violations in a one-minute span. All day, Minnesota simply had no answer for the Hawkeyes’ extended press and zone defense. The ball wasn’t getting to the middle, which led to inefficient possessions. This loss puts a significant dent in the team’s tournament chances. Now, the Gophers likely need to win all of their remaining games to find a postseason path.
The Rundown
Luka Garza quickly asserted himself and scored the Hawkeyes’ first ten points. He hit two baseline jumpers and muscled his way through Alihan Demir in the post. The Gophers missed five consecutive jumpers and continued to struggle from behind the arc. Minnesota converted just one of its first eight 3-point attempts until Willis drilled a deep trey.
With 12 minutes left in the first half, the Gophers trimmed Iowa’s double-digit lead to three points. Minnesota received valuable minutes from true freshman Isaiah Ihnen. Ihnen grabbed two offensive boards, blocked a shot and stepped outside for a deep 3-pointer. He provided key defensive minutes and is improving as the season progresses. His length was valuable against an Iowa team filled with size. Ihnen finished Sunday's game with five points and four rebounds in 16 minutes.
Near the midway point of the first half, the Gophers went on a 1-for-9 scoring drought until Gabe Kalscheur aggressively finished at the rim. After Garza hit the bench with two fouls, Minnesota went on a 14-0 run and grabbed a 28-21 lead. The Gophers’ surge was fueled by Kalscheur’s shooting. He finally drilled three shots, including a deep trey. He also continued to make an impact defensively and forced a shot-clock violation.
Early in the first half, Minnesota snatched eight offensive rebounds, which extended numerous possessions. The Gophers’ stingy team defense was one of the reasons why they dug out of an early hole. Each guard denied the wing and help side rotations were strong. Minnesota shot just 29.7 percent in the first half, but limited turnovers and aggressively attacked the glass. The trend quickly changed over the final 20 minutes.
In the second half, this game's physicality jumped to another level. Each team was muscling into the post and fighting for every basket. Out of halftime, it was clear the Gophers wanted to create more touches inside. Richard Pitino isolated Oturu on the block and he beautifully finished at the rim. Iowa found Cordell Pemsl in the post and cut the Gophers’ lead to one point with 10:37 remaining. However, Marcus Carr quickly responded with a deep 3-pointer. On the next possession, Kalscheur drove down the baseline and beautifully dished to Oturu for a dunk. Shortly after, Garza went to the bench with four fouls. Despite being in foul trouble for most of the game, Garza still led all scorers with 24 points and eight rebounds.
Throughout this game, the Gophers had no answer for Iowa’s zone defense. Minnesota didn’t move the ball quick enough and struggled to get inside. Inefficient offensive possessions allowed the Hawkeyes to remain within striking distance. The Gophers committed five turnovers during a five-minute span in the second half. A deep trey by Connor McCaffrey tied the game at 47 with 6:14 left. However, Minnesota’s backcourt responded. Kalscheur and Willis hit back-to-back 3-pointers to stretch the Gophers’ lead to eight points with 5:25 remaining. The game’s momentum looked like it was shifting, but inefficient possessions and poor execution proved costly. Iowa responded by posting an 11-0 run and escaped with a 58-55 road win.
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