University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Lose Close Battle With No. 9 Hoosiers, 65-60
1/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team fell to No. 9 Indiana, 65-60, tonight in front of a capacity crowd of 14,625 at Williams Arena. Minnesota (12-4, 2-2) led 60-58 with 1:44 remaining, but the Hoosiers (15-1, 4-0) ended the game on a 7-0 run to clinch the win.
Indiana was led by D.J. White’s double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Jordan Crawford chipped in 16 points and Eric Gordon added 12 points for the Hoosiers.
Minnesota was led in scoring and rebounding by Dan Coleman. The senior netted 15 points and pulled down seven boards. Spencer Tollackson scored 12 points and Lawrence McKenzie chipped in 11 points for the Gophers.
Minnesota forced Indiana into 26 turnovers, but Indiana sank 12-of-14 free throws to escape with a victory. Minnesota couldn’t capitalize on the Hoosiers’ errors, making just 11-of-21 free throws and hit just 3-of-17 three-pointers.
A reverse layup by Tollackson propelled Minnesota to a two-point advantage, 60-58, with 1:44 left, but the Gophers couldn’t score again.
Indiana regained the lead for good after Lance Stemler hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the 1:28 mark. Gordon followed with a pair of free throws and Stemler capped the scoring with two more points from the charity stripe, providing the final margin of victory.
Another reverse layup by Tollackson gave Minnesota its first second-half lead at 53-52 with 7:36 remaining. Coleman followed with a conventional 3-point play pushing Minnesota to a four-point advantage, 56-52 at the 6:50 mark.
Minnesota’s 9-3 spurt in the first two minutes of the second half cut the Hoosiers lead to 43-41. Indiana held a 52-47 lead with 12:01 remaining but did not score again until almost eight minutes later. During that span, the Gophers turned a five-point deficit into a four-point lead. Coleman capped the run with a driving layup, triggering a three-point play after being fouled by D.J. White.
Despite pressuring the Hoosiers into 13 turnovers in the opening stanza and limiting Gordon to just five first half points, Indiana held an eight-point advantage, 40-32, at halftime thanks to torrid 3-point shooting. The Hoosiers fired a sizzling 7-of-12 from 3-point range in the first half, including four triples by Crawford.
Crawford’s fourth 3-pointer capped a 17-0 during a 4-minute stretch late in half, turning a six-point Gophers lead into an 11-point Indiana advantage, 38-27, with 2:16 remaining in the half.
Minnesota had held its largest lead, 27-21, following a Hoffarber 3-pointer at the 6:26 mark capping a 10-2 Gophers spurt. Hoffarber earlier scored a 4-point play, sinking a free throw after being fouled on a 3-pointer from the corner. Tollackson followed with a dunk, propelling the Gophers to a five-point advantage, 15-10.
Minnesota jumped out to an early 8-3 lead with 16:34 remaining in the opening half. A spectacular alley-oop dunk by Coleman on a 35-foot sideline pass from Jamal Abu-Shamala opened the Gophers scoring and started an 8-0 run.
Damian Johnson posted a spirited defensive effort on Gordon, who entered the game leading the conference in scoring at 23 points per game. Johnson helped force seven Gordon turnovers and held him to just 3-of-8 shooting and just 12 points. Johnson finished with five steals, three blocks and eight points.
The Gophers return to action against 11th-ranked Michigan State on Sunday at Williams Arena. The game tips at 3 p.m. and can be seen live on the Big Ten Network.
