University of Minnesota Athletics
MBB: Hot Shooting Gophers Defeat Holy Cross 72-56
12/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Minnesota shot 63 percent from the field en route to a 72-56 victory over Holy Cross this afternoon at Williams Arena. Four Gophers scored in double figures led by Vincent Grier with 19. The Gophers improved to 3-3 on the year while the Crusaders fell to 3-2.
The Gophers only attempted 38 field goals in the game but made 24 of them. Minnesota held a significant advantage at the free throw line, making 20-of-28 while the Crusaders were just 3-of-10. Minnesota overcame a season-high 24 turnovers in the win.
After Holy Cross trimmed the Minnesota lead to 43-35 in the second half, an 8-2 run gave the Gophers a 51-37 edge with 8:50 on the clock. The Crusaders battled back to within 11 but a J'son Stamper layup and a Brent Lawson basket put the Gophers ahead 60-45 with six minutes remaining. A three-pointer by Kevin Hamilton got the Crusaders back within 10 points but the Gophers made 10-of-12 free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
The Gophers fell behind 16-12 with 11:45 remaining in the first half but a 17-0 run over the next seven minutes to take a 29-16 lead. Grier had 10 points in the run. A Crusader three before the break made the score 39-28 Minnesota at the half.
Grier led Minnesota with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He also grabbed five rebounds. Rico Tucker scored a career-high 15 points and hit 4-of-5 three-pointers. He also had five assists. Jeff Hagen scored 12 points and had five blocks while Brent Lawson scored a career-high 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and grabbed five boards. Aaron Robinson added five steals and six rebounds.
Hamilton scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-16 from the floor. He also had six rebounds and four steals.
Minnesota returns to action on Wednesday night at Nebraska. The 8:30 p.m. game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
POST-GAME QUOTES
Minnesota head coach Dan Monson
"This game fits into my theory that every game is going to be an adventure and we have to fight through it. We have to find different ways to win. Of course I'm happy that we found a way today even though it wasn't the conventional way."
"The last two minutes of the first half we had some trouble finishing things off and it was a little disappointing and set a tone because we came out tentatively in the second half. We were able to get it inside and break it down and get the ball to basket. "
"He gives us a phenomenal athlete, that's obvious. He gives us fearlessness. He and Tollackson have this ability where they think they can do everything on the court and we want to harness that but we don't want to beat the will out them either because they're so confident and so aggressive. They are like a fresh breath for us.
Holy Cross head coach Ralph Willard
" We didn't do a good job. We tried to gamble early on creating turnovers and they got a lot of popints as a result of us gambling. You can't defend a team like that, as athletic as that and good on the boards, and let them get the ball inside. We gambled on the exterior and they kept getting the ball inside."
"When a team makes a run, you have to put an end to it. We came out and took a lot of quick shots that didn't fall for us. We had a chance to cut it to six with 2 free throws but then we missed those and that was a major point in this game for us. Minnesota did a good job of capitalizing on our mistakes."
Minnesota guard Brent Lawson
"From Tuesday night, we know enough about other teams going on runs so we came out after halftime trying to bury them. At least that was the goal. We talked before the game and we didn't want to be 2-4. We wanted 3-3."
"Guys like (Dan Coleman) had a tough day so somebody had to step up. I'm just trying to do what it takes. I'll step up any day, any way that I can. 11 points isn't that much but helps and I'll take it."
Minnesota guard Rico Tucker
"It was almost déj vu out there. You get up 11 of 12 points at the same spot in the game and the only thing I am thinking is we need to close this one out. We needed to keep the defensive intensity up and I thought we did that."
"I think anyone can have a connection with Vince (Grier) the way he runs to court. We have played a lot together since summer so there is a connection being made."
"I'm definitely ready for Nebraska. It's going to be a good test for us with a good team. We're hungry especially after Tuesday night. This could be a huge win for us."
Minnesota center Jeff Hagen
"He (Grier) has a style. It's something you don't see every day. The kid can make shots while he's facing the other basket. He's a good slasher but still very much team oriented. I think it shows maturity that he's not trying to do too much."
"There were a couple minutes out there where everyone looked at each other and said oh man, not again. But the difference was we stayed confident and pulled away. We still have a lot of learning to do but it's a lot easier and a lot more fun on such an unselfish team."
Minnesota forward Vincent Grier
"We believe in ourselves. It's not like we surprise ourselves. We just have to play hard and get better each and every day. We believe in ourselves so it doesn't matter what other people think."
POST-GAME NOTES
Minnesota now leads the all-time series against Holy Cross 1-0. Minnesota is 5-1 against the Patriot League all-time.
The Gophers shot 65.2% from the field in the first half and 60.0% in the second half against Holy Cross.
The Gophers shot 63.2% from the field, which was their highest percentage of the season.
The Gophers outscored the Crusaders 38-18 in the paint.
Holy Cross allowed a season-high 72 points to the Gophers.
Spencer Tollackson and J'son Stamper made their first career starts.
Tollackson had career highs in points (7), rebounds (6) and field goals made (3).
Vincent Grier has scored in double-figures in all six games he has played as a Gopher. He has led the Gophers in scoring in five of the six games this season.
Rico Tucker scored in double figures for the fourth time this season.
Tucker had career highs in points (15) and three-pointers made (4).
Brent Lawson registered career highs in points (11) and field goals made (4).
Jeff Hagen scored in double-figures for the fourth time this season and the first time since he recorded three straight games in double figures to open the season.
Hagen blocked five shots, giving him 17 on the season (3.2 per game).
Aaron Robinson had a career high five steals.
