University of Minnesota Athletics
MBB: Gophers Dismantle Tommies, 91-50, in First Exhibition
11/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The University of Minnesota men's basketball team dominated Division III St. Thomas, 91- 50, in exhibition play at Williams Arena today. The Gophers had three players in double figures led by senior Jeff Hagen with 17 points. Freshman Dan Coleman notched 15 points, on 7-of-15 shooting and junior Vincent Grier added 14.
Leading 10-8, Minnesota used a 17-1 run to break the game open. The Gophers shot 16- of-21 from the free throw line in the first half and opened a 44-24 halftime lead. Hagen led the way with 13 first half points.
Minnesota increased its lead to 33 with a 17-2 run to start the second half. The Gophers extended their lead to a game-high 45 with 3:32 left in the game at 87-42. Minnesota shot 58 percent in the second half (19-of-33).
All but one of the Gophers' 13 players that saw action got into the scoring column. Hagen added seven boards and three blocks to his 17 points while Coleman had a game-high eight rebounds with his 15 points. Grier had a game-high four steals with his 14 points. Miles Webb added eight points and Rico Tucker scored nine. Aaron Robinson dished out a game-high seven assists.
The Gophers registered 10 blocks, 10 steals and limited St. Thomas to just 31 percent shooting (10-of-32) on the afternoon. Minnesota also held a 45-34 lead on the boards.
Isaac Rosefelt led the Tommies with 14 points and seven rebounds while Sean Sweeney added 12 points.
Minnesota wraps up exhibition play on Friday night against St. Cloud State at Williams Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
POST-GAME QUOTES
Minnesota head coach Dan Monson
"I thought this was a typical exhibition game. We saw things that we were excited about but even more things that we need to work on. Our number one goal for the game was to create an identity as a team. For the most part, I think we played hard, unselfishly, and had fun. But, we need to get tougher."
"A lot of the guys have worked since April for today's game and it was good to see them get in there and have something to build on."
"In the Big Ten, we won't be able to out-athlete people as far as pressure goes. We took a lot out of the game. We have a young team that needs confidence."
St. Thomas head coach Steve Fritz
"No matter what the score was, we knew we had to get things done. There were several blocked shots and plays which in Division III we would have been able to recover."
"There's no question that we like a game like this. Playing as a Division III team against the Gophers will give us confidence."
