11/15 RECAP: Gophers Survive Late Run, Cruise Past Niagara 107-81

(photo credit: Brian Curski, Cumulus Media)

The No. 14 Minnesota Golden Gophers thought they had already demoralized the pesky Niagara Purple Eagles, but a second-half spurt by the 20-point underdog made Minnesota’s third straight win a little more challenging.

After trailing by 10 points in the first half, the Gophers ended the opening stanza on a 33-13 run to take a 10-point halftime advantage. Then they extended their lead to 17 midway through the second half, but Niagara had more left in the tank.

Fueled by USC transfer Kahlil Dukes, the Purple Eagles went on a 14-0 run to pull within three points at 65-62, forcing Gophers head coach Richard Pitino to call timeout and regroup. “I thought we were very confident that we would be OK,” Pitino said. “Just had to make a minor adjustment and play a little bit better defense on [Dukes].”

Out of the timeout, Minnesota dominated. They closed the game on a 42-19 run to win handily, 107-81, and Reggie Lynch packed the box score with 18 points, 12 rebounds, nine blocks and six assists.

Lynch’s half-dozen assists set a new career high, and he came up one block shy of the program’s first triple-double since 1976.

“The biggest miracle of them all: the six assists,” joked Pitino. “I don’t know how the heck he did that. It’s a big investigation into that one. He was good. He surprises guys by blocking jump shots. They don’t see him coming, and he’s got kind of the quick burst.”

It was the 23rd time Lynch tallied five or more blocks in a game. It was two blocks shy of his career high, which he set earlier this year on Feb. 25, blocking 11 shots against Penn State.

“They were gift-wrapping the blocks for me,” said Lynch, who was smiling as the rejections mounted. “Sometimes I can’t control myself when they just hand them to me like that, so I had to give a little chuckle.”

The big man was joined in double figures by the other four Gophers starters. Amir Coffey scored 18 points — 17 of them in the first half. Jordan Murphy scored 16 points in the second half and finished with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. It was the second time this season he and Lynch have notched a double-double in the same game.

Nate Mason also joined the double-double parade with 15 points, 11 assists. Dupree McBrayer finished with 13. The starters combined for 82 of the team’s points.

“[Dupree] broke out, Amir was terrific in the first half, Nate was really, really solid, Reggie and Murph were terrific as well,” said Pitino. “We had five guys in double figures. We could have had eight, justifiably, so a lot of good things.”

The Gophers (3-0) shot over 58 percent on 2-point shots and amassed their highest offensive output since Dec. 27, 2014, when they totaled 108 points against UNC-Wilmington. They weren’t bad on 3s either, shooting 11 of 25 (44 percent). Coffey made his first three attempts from long distance to keep the Gophers close in the opening minutes as the Purple Eagles drained five 3s before the nine-minute mark of the first half.

If there’s one area where Minnesota needs to improve, it’s 3-point defense. Through three games, opponents are shooting 43.1 percent from 3-point range (31 of 72). The Purple Eagles (1-1) finished the game 11 of 27 from downtown.

“I think they’ve been making a lot of tough shots,” said Pitino. “I’m not panicking too much, to be honest with you. I’m sure there’s room for improvement with it.”

Stats to Think About

  • Michael Hurt scored just five points, but in 13 minutes he was a plus-23. No other bench player was better than plus-6.
  • Minnesota got outrebounded on the offensive glass 18-17 against the smaller Purple Eagles. They won the overall rebounding battle 48-44.
  • The Gophers outscored Niagara 50-18 in the paint thanks to Lynch and Murphy.
  • Minnesota had 32 assists and just four turnovers.

Up Next

Minnesota hosts Western Carolina at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday at Williams Arena. Perfectly timed so you can finish the Vikings game and flip over.


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