University of Minnesota Athletics
Fast Break: UT Arlington
11/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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SERIES, ETC.
Tonight's game was just the second all-time meeting, with Minnesota now holding a 2-0 lead in the series. Both games have been played in Minneapolis, with the Golden Gophers also posting a 90-62 win in the season-opener on November 20, 1999. This was head coach Richard Pitino's first-ever game against UTA, and he is 12-4 during his career against Sun Belt Conference foes. Coach Pitino's fourth-year record at Minnesota now stands at 53-51, and his five-year career mark is 71-65. Minnesota has opened its season 2-0 in 12 of the past 13 years.
STARTING FIVE
Coach Pitino once again utilized a starting lineup of juniors Nate Mason and Reggie Lynch, sophomores Dupree McBrayer and Jordan Murphy, and freshman Amir Coffey. Mason made his team-leading 35th career start in Maroon and Gold, while Murphy was in the starting lineup for the 22nd time and McBrayer made his 16th start. A redshirt junior, Lynch has started his first two games at Minnesota after transferring from Illinois State, and Coffey made his second career start.
HALFTIME DEFICIT, ERASED
Minnesota surged ahead to an early 13-7 lead before the Mavericks rallied back and took a 41-35 lead into the half. But the Gophers opened the second half on a 24-3 run to take a 59-44 lead at the 10:36 mark. Amir Coffey led the Gophers with 10 points during the run, while Reggie Lynch had six. Minnesota regained the lead, 46-44, at the 16:21 mark and didn't trail again.
SIX PLAYERS REACH DOUBLE-FIGURES
Minnesota had very balanced scoring, with six players reaching double figures. Reggie Lynch led the team with 14 points on 5-of-6 field goals and a perfect 4-for-4 at the line. Nate Mason and Dupree McBrayer each finished with 13 points, while Eric Curry came off the bench to score 12 points, Jordan Murphy had 11, and Amir Coffey had 10. It's the first time Minnesota had six players in double-figures since a 92-56 win against North Dakota on Dec. 8, 2014.
MURPHY RECORDS DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Jordan Murphy recorded his 10th point-rebound double-double of his career, finishing with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Murphy helped the Gophers to a 47-32 advantage on the boards, with six rebounds coming at each end of the court. In addition to Murphy's effort on the glass, Nate Mason grabbed a career-high seven caroms, and Eric Curry also had seven.
GOPHERS STRONG AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
Minnesota had a strong night at the free throw line, as the Gophers made 30-of-40 attempts for 75 percent. Minnesota made more free throws (30) than UT Arlington attempted (22). Jordan Murphy tied his career-high with seven made free throws, while Eric Curry was 6-of-6 at the line and Reggie Lynch made all four of his attempts.
