University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Beat Rams, Pick Up First Road Win
11/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Minnesota men’s basketball team is off to its first 4-0 start in six years.
Sophomore forward Paul Carter connected on a go-ahead layup with 18.9 seconds left in regulation as the Gophers overcame a six-point halftime deficit to beat Colorado State 72-71 Saturday night at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Sophomore shooting guard Blake Hoffarber hit five three-pointers and led the Gophers with 20 points in their first road win of the young season. Sophomore point guard Al Nolen added 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting and Carter added eight points and four rebounds in Minnesota’s nail-biting victory.
Andy Ogide and Andre McFarland led Colorado State with 16 points apiece. Eden Prairie, Minnesota native Dan Vandervieren added a career-high 15 points for the Rams.
From the get-go, Tim Miles' team showed it would be a serious challenger to Minnesota.
The Rams jumped on the Gophers early, running out to a 23-11 advantage 12 minutes into the game. Minnesota, however, quickly got back into the contest thanks to the hot hand of Hoffarber. Hoffarber posted 17 first-half points for the Maroon and Gold and, after rallying off 10 straight points, propelled Minnesota on a 14-4 run that cut Colorado State’s lead to 27-25.
The Rams led 38-32 at halftime, but the Gophers opened the second half meaning business and quickly gained the games’ momentum.
Implementing full-court pressure to start the second stanza, Minnesota forced three-straight Colorado St. turnovers and used a 7-0 run to take a 39-38 lead, its first advantage of the game.
After trading baskets for much of the second half, Minnesota gained a bit of breathing room when a layup by forward Travis Busch put the Gophers up 66-60 with under seven minutes to go.
But the pesky Rams, who seemingly had an answer for every Minnesota run, wouldn’t go away. A layup by Vandervieren capped off a 7-0 run for the Rams that put them up 67-66 with under three minutes remaining.
With the score deadlocked, 70-70, with under a minute remaining in regulation Ogide connected on one of two free throws to put the Rams ahead. But on the Gophers' final offensive possession of the game, Nolen drove to the middle of the lane and passed to forward Damian Johnson on the right post. Johnson, playing in his first game of the season, then used a wrap-around pass to find Carter - positioned on the left block - for the eventual game-winning layup.
The Rams had a chance to win the game at the buzzer but couldn't convert. Johnson, playing in his first game back from a broken hand, rejected Marcus Walker's jumper with seven seconds remaining but, after a scramble for the ball, Colorado State had the possession arrow in its favor on a jump ball with 0.9 left. McFarland was open on the left baseline but missed an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer, persevering Minnesota’s first road win of the season.
