University of Minnesota Athletics
GOPHERS DOWN MICHIGAN STATE, 70-67
1/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Minnesota Golden Gophers earned their first Big Ten victory of the season, downing No. 17 Michigan State(9-5 overall, 0-1 Big Ten Conference) 70-67 Saturday afternoon in Williams Arena in front of 13,696 fans. The Gophers (8-5, 1-1) are now 3-0 in conference home openers under Dan Monson. It also was Minnesota's first victory over a ranked opponent since a 54-49 victory Jan. 6, 2001, against No. 12 Wisconsin.
Jerry Holman came off the bench to score 16 points, including 10 in the first half, for the Gophers. The 6-10 junior was 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Rick Rickert added 15 points, while Michael Bauer reached double figures for the second consecutive game with 12 tallies.
Following a pair of free throws by Rickert with 3:11 remaining, the Golden Gophers led 64-58, but a three-pointer by Michigan State's Chris Hill brought the Spartans within three.
Following another three-pointer by Michigan State, Rickert scored with 1:29 remaining to put the Gophers up two, but once again, Hill answered with a three-pointer to give MSU its first lead since the 11:39 mark in the first half.
Holman converted on a slam dunk following Hill's basket to hand the lead back to the Gophers. Free throws by Kerwin Fleming and Travarus Bennett preserved the victory for Minnesota.
Hill finished the game with a career-high 25 points, replacing the injured Marcus Taylor in the starting line-up.
The Gophers will next be in action when they host Michigan on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. The game will be seen locally on KSCT-Channel 45.
GOLDEN GOPHER BASKETBALL POST-GAME QUOTES
Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo: "I am awfully proud of my team. They battled hard, but we're one step away from getting done what we need to get done to win in this league. Some guys have to learn how to play tired and hurt, for us to win."
"We had four guys out most of the game; but give Minnesota credit. They are struggling like we have been, but they found a way to win the game. Maybe this game can help them take off. We got beat by a good team that I think can get even better."
"I don't have many complaints on our effort. Some of our guys didn't play very smart, though. We did a poor job on our post defense, and [Jerry] Holman did a great job down low. That is a bad combination for us."
Minnesota Head Coach Dan Monson: "I think it is obvious that this was a big win for us. I know that they were banged up, but this was a win that we needed. It is a credit to our guys. We have been beat up two nights in a row, but they persevered and still battled for the win."
"Our team was more aggressive today than we have been, and Jerry [Holman] was more aggressive. He got into a flow and it built his confidence. I think that all of our guys had a better mindset today."
"We weren't perfect tonight, but we made quick decisions with the ball, we dug through our mistakes and we came up with the win."
"Chris Hill is a great freshman. We focused on him in our zone today, and he still goes for 25 [points]. It is a credit to him and shows what a tremendous player he is going to be."
Forward Michael Bauer</ a>: "In practice, the coaches emphasized the importance of getting off to a good start, today. We figured if we did that, our confidence would be high, and we might win the game. We have been losing a lot of games that we should have won, and this game could have been lost at the end as well; but we buckled down, executed, and did what we needed to do."
"We got the two toughest games out of the way, right off the bat, to open the Big Ten season. We now have two key games that if we win will put us at 3-1 in the conference and in a good position as the season continues"
Forward Travarus Bennett: "This win helps the confidence of our team a lot.We didn't want to go 0-2 in the Big Ten, with one of those losses coming at home. To be successful in the Big Ten, you need to win all of your home games, and try to steal two or three on the road. That is what we are shooting for this year."
Center Rick Rickert: "This was a good win for us. Even after two lop-sided defeats, we knew coming home that we could beat Michigan State. This was a big-time win versus a big-time opponent."
Forward Jerry Holman: "The Big Ten is even more physical that I thought. You get pounded any time you are in the lane. Last game, against Illinois was a wake-up call for me. Now I am ready for whatever the Big Ten has to offer."
Post-Game Notes Minnesota 70, Michigan State 67 January 5, 2002 Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minn. Minnesota Minnesota is 3-0 in Big Ten home openers under Dan Monson. Minnesota defeated a ranked team for the first time since defeating 12th-ranked Wisconsin 54-49 on Jan. 6, 2001 (span of six games). Minnesota is 3-12 against ranked opponents under Dan Monson. All three wins have been against Big Ten teams. Minnesota is 8-1 at home this season and 0-4 on the road. Minnesota improved to 7-0 when attempting more free throws than its opponent. Minnesota's 29 free throw attempts is a season-high. Minnesota won for just the second time this season when being outrebounded (2-4). Minnesota's 26 rebounds is a season-low Today's -15 rebound margin for Minnesota is the largest since being outrebounded 48-24 on Feb. 28, 2001 at Indiana. The Gophers defeated Michigan State for the first time since Mar. 6, 1997 (game was later vacated). Michigan State is the second ranked opponent that Minnesota has faced this season. Minnesota went on a 22-4 run over a 8:57 stretch of the first half. (14:45 to 5:48). Michigan State went on an 11-0 run from 4:10 remaining in the first half to the 17:16 mark of the second half (6 min.,54 sec.). Jerry Holman scored in double figures for the second straight game and the sixth time this season. Michael Bauer scored in double figures for the ninth time this season and the 24th time in his career. Bauer scored his 400th career point in the game and now has 404 for his career. He also recorded his 50th career block in the game. Rick Rickert scored in double figures for the seventh time this season. Kerwin Fleming scored his 300th career point. Bauer tied a career-high with four blocks. Minnesota did not have a shot blocked for the first time this season.
