Gophers Narrowly Escape Upset Bid with 66-54 Win Over Chicago State
Four University of Minnesota students consumed more hotdogs in a halftime eating contest than the Gophers men’s basketball team made shots in the first half against Chicago State on Tuesday night. The students managed to down the majority of 16 hot dogs (four apiece) in a sprint race, while the U players made only nine of 30 shots in the opening 20-minute period.
A Game of Two Halves
The Gophers’ performance in the second half continued to be lackluster as Chicago State, a 26-point underdog, went on a 18-6 spurt to take a 45-44 lead with nine minutes left. However, Minnesota ended the game on a 21-7 run to escape a stunning upset bid with a 66-54 win at The Barn. To put the magnitude of the narrow escape into perspective, Chicago State was ranked 361 out of 365 total teams in Division I going into the game, while Minnesota was ranked in the 80s at tipoff.
Struggling to Find Rhythm
For the game, the Gophers shot 36% from the field and 25% from 3-point range, allowing Chicago State to hang around. According to Gophers coach Niko Medved, “We just really struggled to make shots. (It) got frustrating. One of the things the team has to continue to get better at: When things aren’t going your way, we got to find a way to bring a little bit more juice and energy and pick guys up.” The team’s struggles are not new, as they scored only 60 points against Missouri and 61 points in regulation of the overtime win over Green Bay on Saturday.
Finding a Way to Win
Despite the struggles, the Gophers found a way to win, thanks in part to the strong performance of Cade Tyson, who had a game-high 22 points. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson also contributed 15 points and seven rebounds, saying “We just needed to stay composed and not get frustrated at ourselves and stuff not going right. It’s really just digging down, getting stops and turning it into offense for us.” The Gophers also employed a zone defense to great success down the stretch, holding Chicago State scoreless in the final three minutes.
The Gophers will look to build on this win as they face San Francisco in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Saturday, followed by games against Stanford and either Santa Clara or St. Louis in Palm Springs. For more information on the game, visit Here
Image Source: www.twincities.com
