In their final game before the nonconference schedule tightens up significantly, the No. 14 Minnesota Golden Gophers took care of business against the vastly overmatched Alabama A&M Bulldogs, winning 100-57.
Minnesota’s next four nonconference opponents — Massachusetts, Alabama, Miami and Arkansas — should provide much tougher tests. Tuesday, the Gophers overpowered the Bulldogs with aggressive defense and relentless drives to the rim, never trailing in a game that they led 47-25 at halftime.
The Gophers (5-0) won their first five games by an average of 24.4 points with their most impressive win being a 12-point victory at Providence.
“I think you can look back at that Providence win,” said Pitino. “If you can draw back on a road victory early in the season, that’s huge.
“I did tell [the team], ‘I don’t know if we’ve played a great 40 minutes at home.’ Physically we’ve done some good things, but mentally not as much, and I thought today they were really, really good.”
The Gophers didn’t waste any time taking the drama out of this one after playing two straight games against Niagara and Western Carolina in which they led by only single digits at times in the second half.
Jordan Murphy extended his double-double streak with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-10 shooting. He’s averaging 23.8 points per game through five games. His buzzer-beating fadeaway jump shot to end the first half was a rare moment of finesse on a night when Murphy used his strength and explosiveness to bully his way around in the post. Altogether, Minnesota outscored the Bulldogs 62-28 in the paint.
The first five games have shown Murphy to be one of the best power forwards in the nation. He entered play Tuesday eighth in the county in rebounding and tied for 11th in scoring.
He was one rebound shy of a double-double when Pitino inserted him late in the second half. Murphy quickly snatched his 10th board and was soon called back to the bench.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pitino quipped when asked if he sent Murphy in to finish off the double-double.
Minnesota finished with five players in double figures. Davonte Fitzgerald played his best game in maroon and gold, notching 13 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes. His presence off the bench will be imperative as the Gophers look to replace the minutes lost when Eric Curry went down with a knee injury. Fitzgerald is coming off a knee injury himself.
“Today was a good day, a good stepping stone,” said Fitzgerald, the Texas A&M transfer, “just trying to use this game to propel forward, especially health wise. I felt pretty good, too.”
Nate Mason scored 12 first-half points but none in the second. Reggie Lynch scored 11 points with seven rebounds and four blocks. Freshman Jamir Harris added 11 points, at one point knocking down three straight 3-pointers in the second half. Isaiah Washington finished with six points after a tough shooting night, but his eight assists made up for it.
Washington, Fitzgerald and Harris are the primary pieces on a retooled Gophers bench that will inevitably be called upon in the Big Ten season. Their collective effort Tuesday night was a positive glimpse at what they should be able to contribute.
“Tonight was a good night for our bench to get some more experience under their belt, play some minutes, just go out there and keep the energy and defend,” said Murphy.
The Gophers jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the game and never looked back against the Bulldogs, who went 2-27 last season. Mohamed Sherif led the visitors with 10 points.
Minnesota had runs of 13-3 and 15-4 in the first half. Its lead never dipped below 21 points after halftime.
“Those are tough games to play in,” said Pitino, “and I thought our guys were really, really mature about it.”
Stats to Think About
- After recording just six assists in their win at Providence, the Gophers have 79 assists in the last three games.
- Amir Coffey had eight assists Tuesday night, one shy of his career high.
- Minnesota held Alabama A&M to five free-throw attempts.
Up Next
The Gophers head east to play in the Barclay’s Classic in Brooklyn. Their first opponent will be Massachusetts on Friday at 11 a.m. The two teams already have two common opponents, as UMass beat Niagara by 25 and Western Carolina by nine. Minnesota beat those teams by 26 and 28, respectively.
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