University of Minnesota Athletics
Fast Break: FAU
12/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Recap | Quotes | Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2
SERIES, ETC.
This afternoon's 95-60 win was just the second all-time meeting between Minnesota and Florida Atlantic, with the Gophers now holding a 1-0 lead in the series (the first contest was vacated by the NCAA). Minnesota improved to 11-3 on the season, while FAU dropped to 6-6. Head coach Richard Pitino is 2-1 against the Owls, and 7-7 against Conference-USA foes, while Minnesota now stands at 1,461-1,085 all-time (not counting vacated games). Coach Pitino's fifth-year record at Minnesota is 86-64, and his six-year career mark is 104-78.
STARTING FIVE
Coach Pitino utilized a starting lineup of seniors Nate Mason and Reggie Lynch, junior Jordan Murphy, and sophomores Amir Coffey and Michael Hurt. Mason made his team-leading 83rd career start (77th consecutive) in Maroon and Gold, while Murphy was in the starting lineup for the 68th consecutive time. Lynch, who transferred from Illinois State, has now started 47 games for the Gophers (97 career), while Coffey made his 47th career start and Hurt started his second career game in place of injured Dupree McBrayer (lower leg).
GOPHERS CONTINUE IMPROVED FREE THROW SHOOTING
For the second straight game, the Gophers fared well at the charity stripe, as they connected on 14-of-18 (.778) attempts after going 23-of-28 (.821) in Thursday's win against Oral Roberts. Minnesota's 80.4 percent at the line the past two games is well above its season percentage of 70.8 (252-of-356).
HOME SWEET HOME
Minnesota continued its six-game home stand with today's win versus the Owls, improving to 8-1 at The Barn this season. The Gophers follow with games versus Harvard (Dec. 30), Illinois (Jan. 3) and Indiana (Jan. 6) before heading back on the road to face Northwestern on Jan. 10.
MR. DOUBLE-DOUBLE REACHES MILESTONE
Jordan Murphy finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds in just 22 minutes for his 14th-straight double-double to start the season (35th career). Murphy, who leads the nation in double-doubles and rebounds this season, made 5-of-7 field goals, including a three-pointer, while adding three assists, a blocked shot and a steal. Murphy has averages of 19.6 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, while making 100-of-175 (.571) field goals this season.
MASON LEADS TEAM IN SCORING
Nate Mason was instrumental in getting the Gophers out to an early lead and setting the tone for today's game, as he connected on his first three attempts from beyond the arc on his way to a team-best 17 points. Mason, who later left the game with an injury, now has 1,431 for his career, which ranks 10th all-time at Minnesota. He needs 15 points to pass Trent Tucker (1979-82, 1,445 points) for ninth. Mason, a reigning First Team All-B1G guard, made 5-of-11 field goals, including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, while also grabbing two rebounds. He is averaging 15.5 points and 4.1 assists with just 15 turnovers.
COFFEY CONTINUES STREAK
Amir Coffey made 5-of-10 field goal attempts to finish with 11 points and stretch his streak of double-figure scoring games to nine-straight (34 career), while also leading the team with eight assists. Coffey is averaging 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
HURT MAKES SECOND START
Michael Hurt made his second collegiate start for the Gophers, finishing with eight points (all in the first half) to go with three assists, two rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. As a starter, Hurt has made 6-of-11 field goals and is averaging 9.0 points, well above his season norm of 3.1 points per game.
BENCH MAKES ITS MARK
One thing the Gophers have been lacking this season is bench production. But today, Minnesota received 34 points from its reserves, who admittedly got plenty of opportunity with the 35-point victory margin. Jamir Harris was 3-of-5 from three-point range to finish with nine points, while Davonte Fitzgerald connected on 4-of-5 shots to equal Harris' scoring output and added four rebounds. Isaiah Washington grabbed a career-best eight rebounds to go with seven points and three assists in 18 minutes. In all, 11 of the 12 players for the Gophers were able to score.
