University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Notes: Sizzling Sophomores vs. Penn State
1/15/2020 11:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SERIES, ETC.
Tonight's 75-69 win was the 39th all-time meeting between Minnesota and Penn State (not counting vacated games), with the Gophers leading the series, 29-10 (15-3 in Minneapolis). The Gophers won their fifth-straight game against Penn State, improving to 9-1 at Williams Arena this season. Minnesota improves to 10-7 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten, while Penn State lost its third-straight game to fall to 12-5 overall and 2-4 in the conference. Coach Richard Pitino is 8-4 versus the Nittany Lions. Minnesota's all-time record now stands at 1,497-1,120 overall and 765-838 in the B1G (not counting vacated games). Coach Pitino's seventh-year record at Minnesota is 122-99, and his eight-year career mark is 140-113.
STARTING FIVE
Coach Pitino utilized a starting lineup of senior Alihan Demir (16th start at Minnesota, 71st career start), redshirt junior Payton Willis (13th start at Minnesota, 29th career start), redshirt sophomore Marcus Carr (17th start at Minnesota, 44th career start), sophomore Gabe Kalscheur (53rd career start), and sophomore Daniel Oturu (48th career start). Minnesota improved to 6-5 this season when using that starting five.
FIRST HALF RECAP
Minnesota trailed by seven points early in the half and by eight points with less than five minutes remaining, but Marcus Carr and Daniel Oturu helped the Gophers pull within two points, 46-44, at the half. Minnesota used a 12-2 run, with seven points from Oturu, to turn a 14-7 deficit into a 19-16 lead. The Gophers then held a lead until PSU's 10-0 run gave it a 39-31 lead with 4:53 remaining. Carr made 4-of-7 field goals, including three from beyond the arc, to lead the team with 17 points and six assists. Oturu was 5-of-6 from the field to have 13 points and seven rebounds at the break. Penn State made 18-of-30 (.600) field goal attempts, while Minnesota was 13-of-29 (.448). The Gophers held a 22-11 advantage in rebounding, which included 10 offensive boards.
OTURU'S DOMINANCE CONTINUES
Daniel Oturu continues to dominate in Big Ten play, as he finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds for his 11th double-double this season and his seventh game with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds, which leads the nation. Oturu scored 13 points in each half, connecting on 8-of-14 field goals and 9-of-14 free throws. In seven Big Ten games, Oturu has six double-doubles and is averaging 23.1 points and 12.9 points per game. Over his past 10 games, he has combined to make 91-of-143 (.636) field goals, and he's recorded double-doubles in seven of his past nine games.
CARR JUST MISSES ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Marcus Carr just missed recording his second straight double-double, as he led all players with 27 points and nine assists in 40 minutes. It was the fifth time this season that Carr played the full 40 minutes of a regulation game. Carr was 7-of-17 from the field, including 3-of-7 from deep, and he knocked down 10-of-11 attempts at the free throw line. In Big Ten games, Carr is averaging 20.0 points and 7.4 assists per game.
DEMIR HAS BIG SECOND HALF
Alihan Demir made 3-of-7 field goals, including a three-pointer, and finished with nine points, four rebounds and a pair of assists. Demir has double-figure scoring games in three of his past four games. In Big Ten play, Demir is averaging 9.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS AND NOTES
Minnesota improved to 6-0 this season and 14-3 in the past two seasons when wearing White uniforms ... Daniel Oturu reached 700 career points and 450 career rebounds tonight ... Penn State made 25-of-59 (.424) field goals, but that figure was marred by a 1-of-17 stretch during the second half ... Minnesota held the Nittany Lions to 7-of-29 (.241) field goals in the second half, including 1-of-10 from three-point range ... the Gophers had a 48-32 advantage in rebounding ... Minnesota made 23-of-29 (.793) free throws ... the Gophers combined for just two bench points ... a crowd of 9,714 attended the game.