University of Minnesota Athletics
Thursday, December 21
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
9-3,1-1Big Ten
80
vs
63
Ball State
8-4,0-0MAC
1
2
F
Ball St.
27
36
63
Minnesota
39
41
80
Team Stats
BSU
MINN
FG%
.453
.526
3FG%
.381
.444
FT%
.636
.545
RB
30
35
TO
14
6
STL
2
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Kelly Hagenson
Five Gophers Score in Double Digits En Route to Ninth Win of the Season
12/21/2023 9:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Mike Mitchell Jr. led five Minnesota players in double-figures with a season-high 20 points, and Elijah Hawkins added 12 points and team-highs of nine assists and seven rebounds, as the Gophers (9-3) won their fourth-straight game, 80-63, versus Ball State (8-4) at Williams Arena.
Mitchell Jr. was 8-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, and added five assists, four rebounds, and three steals in his second start for the Gophers. Hawkins narrowly missed his fourth straight game with double-digit assists, settling for nine to give him 48 assists (12.0 per game) during that stretch. Pharrel Payne had 13 points, Joshua Ola-Joseph had 12 points, and Cam Christie finished with 11 points and tied Hawkins for the team lead with a career-high seven rebounds.
Minnesota jumped out to a quick 13-3 lead by making 5-of-7 field goals to start the game, including 3-of-3 from behind the arc, with Mitchell Jr. knocking down his first two treys of the night. Leading 15-5, Minnesota used an 11-4 run to stretch the lead to 17 points at 26-9. Ball State closed to within eight points, 32-24, but the Gophers took a 39-27 lead to the half, as Mitchell Jr. paced the Gophers with 10 points.
The Gophers opened the second half by increasing their lead back to 16 points at 46-30, but the Cardinals kept chipping away and pulled within 64-57 with 7:36 left. Minnesota answered with an 11-0 run, with Ola-Joseph scoring seven points and Payne adding four during the run, to increase the lead back to 18 points and cement the victory.
Minnesota closes out nonconference schedule on Friday, Dec. 29 when the Maine Bears come to town. Game time is at 6 p.m., and streamed on Peacock.
Mitchell Jr. was 8-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, and added five assists, four rebounds, and three steals in his second start for the Gophers. Hawkins narrowly missed his fourth straight game with double-digit assists, settling for nine to give him 48 assists (12.0 per game) during that stretch. Pharrel Payne had 13 points, Joshua Ola-Joseph had 12 points, and Cam Christie finished with 11 points and tied Hawkins for the team lead with a career-high seven rebounds.
Minnesota jumped out to a quick 13-3 lead by making 5-of-7 field goals to start the game, including 3-of-3 from behind the arc, with Mitchell Jr. knocking down his first two treys of the night. Leading 15-5, Minnesota used an 11-4 run to stretch the lead to 17 points at 26-9. Ball State closed to within eight points, 32-24, but the Gophers took a 39-27 lead to the half, as Mitchell Jr. paced the Gophers with 10 points.
The Gophers opened the second half by increasing their lead back to 16 points at 46-30, but the Cardinals kept chipping away and pulled within 64-57 with 7:36 left. Minnesota answered with an 11-0 run, with Ola-Joseph scoring seven points and Payne adding four during the run, to increase the lead back to 18 points and cement the victory.
Minnesota closes out nonconference schedule on Friday, Dec. 29 when the Maine Bears come to town. Game time is at 6 p.m., and streamed on Peacock.
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