University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers' Winning Streak Ends at #4 Purdue
1/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
West Lafayette, Ind. -- Minnesota's seven-game winning streak came to a halt Tuesday night, as the Golden Gophers dropped a 79-60 decision at fourth-ranked Purdue, one of just four remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division I basketball.
The Boilermakers (14-0, 2-0 Big Ten) jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, but Minnesota used a 9-3 run to get right back into the game, and took a 24-20 lead late in the opening half. But Purdue responded with a 15-4 run to close the half, and held Minnesota without a field goal for a seven-minute stretch, to take a 35-28 lead into the lockerroom.
Purdue didn't take its foot off the gas in the second half, as the Boilermakers opened with a 10-3 run to quickly push the seven-point halftime lead to 14 points, at 45-31. The Gophers' pressure defense forced Purdue into 17 turnovers on the night, and helped Minnesota make several runs at the Boilers, but the Maroon and Gold were never able to get closer than eight points. Purdue shot 65 percent (13-for-20) in the second half, and 52.3 percent (23-for-44) for the game.
Minnesota (11-4, 2-1 Big Ten) was led by junior forward Paul Carter, who scored a season-high 15 points on 5-of-9 field goals, but the Gophers were ice cold from the perimeter by making just 4-of-19 (.211) three-point attempts in the game, including just 1-of-12 (.083) after halftime. Senior forward Damian Johnson added 12 points and seven rebounds, and sophomore center Colton Iverson pulled down nine boards for the Gophers, who were without starting forward Ralph Sampson III for the second game in a row due to an ankle injury.
The Gophers' starting five combined to make just 10-of-37 field goals in the contest, as Minnesota shot 30.8 percent (20-for-65) from the field as a team. Junior guard Blake Hoffarber, who had led Minnesota in scoring during six of the past seven games, was held to just three points on 1-for-4 shooting. The Gophers did manage to hold a 39-36 advantage in rebounding, even with their leading rebounder, Sampson, on the bench.
In contrast to Minnesota's struggles from its starters, four of five Purdue starters finished in double figures. E'Twaun Moore and Robbie Hummel each finished with a game-high 18 points, while JaJuan Johnson added 16 points, and Chris Kramer tallied 15. Hummel paced the Boilermakers on the glass, finishing with a game-high 11 rebounds, and Johnson grabbed 10. Combined, Purdue's starters outscored Minnesota's starting five, 69-34. Another key factor was Purdue's advantage in free throw attempts, as the Boilermakers made more free throws (27-of-36) than Minnesota attempted (16-of-25).
The Golden Gophers return home to play host to Ohio State Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. The Buckeyes are 10-4 overall and 0-2 in the conference, and play host to Indiana Wednesday night. Saturday's game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
