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Photo by: Brad Rempel
As Calendar Flips, Demir Turns It On
1/6/2020 2:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
by Matt Little, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
Sunday night's 77-68 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats was more than just another tally in the "W" column for senior Alihan Demir. It marked a night of season highs, and a potential breakthrough for the Drexel transfer as well.
The Ankara, Turkey, native posted a season-high in rebounds with nine, and a solid statline all around with 11 points and three assists to accompany his work on the boards. His previous season-high stood at seven rebounds, which he registered just three days prior in the double-overtime bout with Purdue.
Since transferring from Drexel, Demir has started in 13 games for the Maroon and Gold, all but one contest thus far. This season, he has been averaging 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, which makes Sunday night all that more impressive.
Sunday's game concluded an impressive week for Demir, as he shot 50 percent from deep and had seven rebounds at Purdue, the latter being his previous season high.
While his totals thus far this year may be shy of his All-Colonial Athletic Association output during his two years at Drexel, Gophers head coach Richard Pitino has noticed Demir's improvements. When asked about Demir's recent production Sunday, Pitino said "[Demir] is getting better, rebounding the ball and getting in there and scrapping."
Demir will look to keep improving on his numbers and production in the coming weeks as the Gophers look ahead to a Thursday night battle in East Lansing against No. 8 Michigan State. This will be the first match-up between the two since the Spartans bested Minnesota in the round of 32 in last year's NCAA tournament before eventually reaching the Final Four in Minneapolis.
Sunday night's 77-68 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats was more than just another tally in the "W" column for senior Alihan Demir. It marked a night of season highs, and a potential breakthrough for the Drexel transfer as well.
The Ankara, Turkey, native posted a season-high in rebounds with nine, and a solid statline all around with 11 points and three assists to accompany his work on the boards. His previous season-high stood at seven rebounds, which he registered just three days prior in the double-overtime bout with Purdue.
Since transferring from Drexel, Demir has started in 13 games for the Maroon and Gold, all but one contest thus far. This season, he has been averaging 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, which makes Sunday night all that more impressive.
Sunday's game concluded an impressive week for Demir, as he shot 50 percent from deep and had seven rebounds at Purdue, the latter being his previous season high.
While his totals thus far this year may be shy of his All-Colonial Athletic Association output during his two years at Drexel, Gophers head coach Richard Pitino has noticed Demir's improvements. When asked about Demir's recent production Sunday, Pitino said "[Demir] is getting better, rebounding the ball and getting in there and scrapping."
Demir will look to keep improving on his numbers and production in the coming weeks as the Gophers look ahead to a Thursday night battle in East Lansing against No. 8 Michigan State. This will be the first match-up between the two since the Spartans bested Minnesota in the round of 32 in last year's NCAA tournament before eventually reaching the Final Four in Minneapolis.
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