University of Minnesota Athletics
Hot Shooting Gophers Put Away Butler
11/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Anaheim, Calif. - The Golden Gopher Basketball team opened the 76 Classic with an 82-73 win over Butler on Thursday evening at Anaheim Arena.
The game was billed as a marquee match-up, pitting top-25 teams against each other. Butler (3-1) entered the game as the No. 10 ranked team in the country, while Minnesota (4-0) brought a No. 16 ranking into the contest.
The Gophers used a 50 percent shooting effort from the field for the win, exploding for 50 points in the second half. Minnesota led 32-28, heading into halftime, before each team opened up the scoring in the second half, with the Gophers pacing the Bulldogs 50-45 in the final period.
Damian Johnson (Thibodaux, La.) led Minnesota with 18 points in the game, finishing as the only Gopher starter in double figures. In 25 minutes on the floor, Johnson hit 7-of-8 field goals and all three of his free throws, while adding four assists, four steals, and three rebounds on the night.
As the Gophers built up their 32-28 halftime lead, Colton Iverson (Yankton, S.D.) came off the bench to pace Minnesota, tallying a double-double in the half with 11 points and 10 boards. Iverson was part of a 23-point effort for the Maroon and Gold bench in the first half, compared to just five for the Bulldog reserves.
In the game, the Gopher bench would outscore the Bulldogs 46-to-8, with three Gophers entering the game and finishing in double figures. Devoe Joseph (Pickering, Ontario) hit just three field goals, but made 6-of-8 free throws to finish with 14 points in 27 minutes of play. Iverson would go on to finish with 13 points and a career high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double as the only Gopher to do so on the night.
Blake Hoffarber (Minnetonka, Minn.) was the final Gopher in double figures, notching 12 points in 35 minutes of play. Hoffarber hit 3-of-5 from three-point range, leading the Gophers from behind the arc.
Coming out of the break, the Bulldogs drew within one at 36-35, but that was as close as they could get. The Gophers stretched their lead to as much as 10 at 59-49, after a Johnson three with just over seven minutes left to go.
Butler called a timeout after going down 10, and were able to get as close as four with less than two minutes to go after a pair of Shelvin Mack free throws.
After seeing their lead shrink to four the Gophers called a timeout, and out of the break scored four straight to go up 79-71 and put the game away.
In the semifinals of the 76 Classic, Minnesota will face Portland on Friday, Nov. 27 at 8:30 p.m. (CT). The Pilots soundly defeated UCLA, 74-47, in their Thursday game.
