Minnesota Gophers Edge Green Bay in Overtime Thriller
MINNEAPOLIS – Gophers men’s basketball fans hoping to be reassured by an expected thrashing of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Saturday night at Williams Arena were likely left a little queasy after Minnesota escaped with a 72-65 overtime victory. The closely contested match saw the Gophers struggle to find their footing, but ultimately emerge victorious.
A Game of Ups and Downs
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, who hadn’t hit on any of his first three three-point shots, drained his fourth attempt of the night from outside the top of the key with 90 seconds remaining in the extra session to put his team up, 66-63. The Colorado State transfer then sank a running one-hander from the right side to push the lead to 68-63 with 50 seconds to play on a night where Minnesota shot 41% from the floor. According to first-year Gophers coach Niko Medved, the team’s ability to adapt to Green Bay’s changing defenses was crucial in securing the win.
“They were constantly changing defenses, something they hadn’t shown and we weren’t prepared for,” said Medved, whose team improved to 3-1 while dropping the Phoenix to 1-4. “But we didn’t let that frustration get to us. We hung in there down the stretch. Winning is hard. We’ll take it.” Gophers senior guard Cade Tyson, a transfer from the University of North Carolina, led the hosts with 27 points, followed by Crocker-Johnson, a junior, with 11 points.
Post-Game Analysis
Doug Gottlieb, Green Bay’s second-year coach and host of a national radio show, attributed the loss to “wonky lineups” late in the second half and during overtime. “By overtime, kids are exhausted and nobody shot the ball well,” said Gottlieb, whose record with the Phoenix fell to 5-32. Minnesota converted 20 of 39 free-throws, leading Medved to joke that he felt he was “in the Twilight Zone” watching players he knows can regularly convert from the charity stripe do otherwise.
Medved expressed confidence in Crocker-Johnson’s shooting abilities, saying “Sometimes the worst thing you can do is try to shoot your way out (of a slump), but I know Jalen will snap out of it. When the game’s on the line and he was open, he had the guts to step up and knock it down. You can’t play scared.” The Gophers hit on just 29 percent of their field-goal attempts during the first half but sank six of their first 10 shots from the floor after intermission.
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