University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Postgame Notes: FIU
12/28/2019 7:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SERIES, ETC.
Today's 89-62 win was the second all-time meeting between Minnesota and Florida International, with the Gophers leading the series, 2-0 (both games in Minneapolis). Minnesota won its third-straight game to improve to 7-5 overall, while FIU had its six-game winning streak snapped and fell to 9-4. The Gophers are 15-7 all-time versus current members of Conference USA (not counting vacated games). Coach Richard Pitino faced the school he coached during the 2012-13 season for the first time, and improved to 8-7 versus current Conference USA foes. Minnesota now stands at 1,494-1,118 all-time (not counting vacated games). Coach Pitino's seventh-year record at Minnesota is 119-97, and his eight-year career mark is 137-111.
STARTING FIVE
Coach Pitino utilized a starting lineup of senior Alihan Demir (11th career start at Minnesota, 66th career start), redshirt sophomore Marcus Carr (12th start at Minnesota, 39th career start), sophomore Gabe Kalscheur (48th career start), sophomore Daniel Oturu (43rd career start), and true freshman Tre' Williams (second career start)
FIRST HALF RECAP
Minnesota used a 17-2 run over an eight-plus minute span to turn a 14-8 deficit into a 25-16 lead, and the Gophers took a 38-27 lead into the locker room. Gabe Kalscheur, coming off a career-high 34 points in the win against Oklahoma State, led the Gophers with 17 points at the break. Kalscheur made 3-of-7 three-pointers, while Daniel Oturu dominated inside by posting his seventh double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds in 18 first-half minutes. Minnesota was a perfect 11-of-11 at the free throw line and the Gophers held a 29-23 advantage in rebounding in the first half.
FREE THROW FIRE
Minnesota entered today's game shooting 66.1 percent at the free throw line, but the Gophers turned in one of the best performances in school history at the stripe versus FIU, as they connected on 29-of-30 (.967) attempts. Four times in its history (with a minimum of 12 attempts), Minnesota has had a perfect game at the line, but today's effort ranks fifth-best and was the best mark since the Gophers made 12-of-12 versus Wisconsin on Feb. 22, 1986.
2020 IS COMING, SO OTURU FIGURED WHY NOT
With the start of 2020 just days away, Daniel Oturu must have decided today was a good day to commemorate the start of the new decade, as he recorded his first career 20-point, 20-rebound game. Oturu's seventh double-double of the season (15th career) included 21 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in 32 minutes. He is the first Minnesota player with 20 rebounds in a game since Jordan Murphy grabbed 21 boards (19 points) versus Penn State on Jan. 19, 2019. Oturu connected on 8-of-12 field goals and went 5-of-5 at the free throw line, while six of his boards came on the offensive end of the floor. Over his past five games, Oturu has combined to make 43-of-59 (.729) field goals, and he's recorded double-doubles in four of his past six games. Oturu became the first Gopher with a 20-20 game since Tom Kondla (33 pts/23 rbs) did so at Kansas State on Dec. 1, 1966. He is the first Big Ten player with a 20-20 game since DeShawn Sims of Michigan vs. FGCU (12/22/2008), who had 20 and 20.
KALSCHEUR WRAPS UP INCREDIBLE WEEK
Gabe Kalscheur wrapped up an incredible week, as he led the Gophers with 23 points and made 5-of-10 three-pointers versus FIU. Kalscheur, who was coming off a career-high 34 points in a win versus Oklahoma State, averaged 28.5 points and connected on 12-of-19 (.632) from beyond the arc in the two victories.
CARR TURNS IN SOLID ALL-AROUND EFFORT
Marcus Carr was the third Minnesota player in double-figures, and he turned in an impressive all-around game, as he finished with 17 points to go with a team-high eight assists and seven rebounds.