University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Brad Rempel
A Tale of Two Halves
1/16/2020 1:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
by Matt Little, Athletic Communication Student Assistant
Wednesday night's 75-69 victory over the visiting Nittany Lions felt like a tale of two halves. In the first half, things seemed murky for the home team. Offensively, the Gophers were again led by the duo of sophomores Daniel Oturu and Marcus Carr, while defensively, nothing seemed to be working for the Maroon and Gold, as Penn State shot 60 percent from the floor with zero turnovers. The teams headed into the locker room with PSU holding a two-point edge. However, the second half was a very different story.
Within 19 seconds of the opening inbound, Payton Willis erased the Gophers deficit with a driving layup to tie the game at 46-all; however, the Lions quickly responded with a 10-2 run over the next three minutes, hitting all four attempted shots and adding another two from the charity stripe.
Then, the Gophers hit their stride. Led by Oturu, Jarvis Omersa, and Tre' Williams, the Gophers locked down defensively, only allowing their opponents one basket in their next 17 attempts. In total, the Gophers only allowed three total field goals after the 17:02 mark in the second half and a mere 13 points for the Lions. This dominant defensive performance, along with outstanding offensive play from Carr and Oturu, led the Gophers to their second straight Big Ten victory.
Statistically, the Gophers had two players in double digit scoring in Carr (27) and Oturu (26). Carr added nine assists and five rebounds, while Oturu reached his 11th double double this season with 14 boards and two blocks. Kalscheur had six points, seven rebounds and two steals in the effort as well. Omersa, before fouling out 4:10 mark in the second, finished with two points and six boards.
When asked postgame about the crowd's role in games, Omersa stated, "When we want to get things going with our crowd it's easy. They love us and they love getting into the game, so whenever we can make them be a part of it and have them be another player, I think that's really important."
Next for the Gophers is a trip to Piscataway, N.J., to face a red-hot Rutgers team this Sunday, Jan. 19.
Wednesday night's 75-69 victory over the visiting Nittany Lions felt like a tale of two halves. In the first half, things seemed murky for the home team. Offensively, the Gophers were again led by the duo of sophomores Daniel Oturu and Marcus Carr, while defensively, nothing seemed to be working for the Maroon and Gold, as Penn State shot 60 percent from the floor with zero turnovers. The teams headed into the locker room with PSU holding a two-point edge. However, the second half was a very different story.
Within 19 seconds of the opening inbound, Payton Willis erased the Gophers deficit with a driving layup to tie the game at 46-all; however, the Lions quickly responded with a 10-2 run over the next three minutes, hitting all four attempted shots and adding another two from the charity stripe.
Then, the Gophers hit their stride. Led by Oturu, Jarvis Omersa, and Tre' Williams, the Gophers locked down defensively, only allowing their opponents one basket in their next 17 attempts. In total, the Gophers only allowed three total field goals after the 17:02 mark in the second half and a mere 13 points for the Lions. This dominant defensive performance, along with outstanding offensive play from Carr and Oturu, led the Gophers to their second straight Big Ten victory.
Statistically, the Gophers had two players in double digit scoring in Carr (27) and Oturu (26). Carr added nine assists and five rebounds, while Oturu reached his 11th double double this season with 14 boards and two blocks. Kalscheur had six points, seven rebounds and two steals in the effort as well. Omersa, before fouling out 4:10 mark in the second, finished with two points and six boards.
When asked postgame about the crowd's role in games, Omersa stated, "When we want to get things going with our crowd it's easy. They love us and they love getting into the game, so whenever we can make them be a part of it and have them be another player, I think that's really important."
Next for the Gophers is a trip to Piscataway, N.J., to face a red-hot Rutgers team this Sunday, Jan. 19.
Senior Salute
Friday, March 06
Highlights: Gophers 47, Indiana 77
Wednesday, March 04
Coming Home: Jim Shikenjanski
Tuesday, March 03
Cinematic Recap: Gophers-Bruins
Monday, March 02