University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota-Purdue Post-Game Notes
1/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Minnesota 65, Purdue 59
Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007
Williams Arena
Game Notes
• Minnesota is 73-29 in Big Ten home openers and 48-54 in Big Ten openers.
• Jim Molinari is now 5-3, and 1-0 in Big Ten play as the head coach of the Gophers. Molinari is 223-170 all-time as a head coach.
• This is the first time that Minnesota and Purdue have met in a Big Ten opener since 1998. It is only the second time since 1976 that the two teams have met in a conference opener.
• Minnesota had a starting lineup of Limar Wilson, Lawrence McKenzie, Jamal Abu-Shamala, Dan Coleman and Spencer Tollackson for the third time this season. That combination of players also started against Southern Illinois on Nov. 24 and UAB on Dec. 5.
• Purdue leads the all-time series 82-72 (not including vacated games). In Minneapolis, the Golden Gophers lead 48-27. The Golden Gophers have won five of the last six games between the two schools.
• Minnesota has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in seven of eight games under Molinari.
• The Golden Gophers 55.3 percent shooting was the best shooting percentage posted against Purdue this season. The Boilermakers entered the night averaging an opponent shooting percentage of 40.7.
• Minnesota’s 55.3 shooting percentage was its third-highest of the season.
• Minnesota took its first lead of the game at 51-50 with 4:13 left in the second half.
• Purdue shot a season-low 36.1 percent on the night, going 22-for-61.
• Minnesota held Purdue to a 30.3 shooting percentage on 10-for-33 in the first half. It was the Boilermakers lowest first-half shooting percentage of the season. Purdue’s 25 points in the first half was also its second-lowest point total of the season.
• The Golden Gophers 20 points was their lowest scoring total in the first half this season.
• Lawrence McKenzie had his fifth game of 20 or more points as a Golden Gopher. He scored 14 points in the second half. McKenzie has scored 31 points combined in the last two games second halves.
• Lawrence McKenzie has hit a three-pointer in 23 straight games, spanning his first 15 games as a Golden Gopher and his final eight games at Oklahoma.
• McKenzie scored in double figures for the 11th time in his Golden Gopher career, and the 40th time in his collegiate career.
• McKenzie was 6-for-7 from the floor, and was 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
• Dan Coleman had his second double-double of the season and his career with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The last double-double in a Big Ten contest by a Golden Gopher came on Jan. 29, 2006 when Vincent Grier had 17 points and 10 rebounds against Indiana at Williams Arena.
• Coleman scored in double figures for the 12th time in 15 games and for the 34th time in his career.
• Coleman had a career-high three blocks on the night, and recorded multiple blocks for the eighth time this season.
• Spencer Tollackson recorded multiple blocks in a game for the fourth time this season and the 12th time in his career.
• Jamala Abu-Shamala had a season-high 13 points. Abu-Shamala has scored in double figures three times this season and eight times in his career.
• Abu-Shamala had three three-pointers on the night. Abu-Shamala has hit 10 three-pointers in the last four games.
