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Men’s basketball: Gophers fade late in a 76-66 loss to Michigan State

andy greder, pioneer press
·3 min read

Considering their lineup and limitations, the Gophers men’s basketball team had little business sticking with Michigan State at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich., on Thursday.

Minnesota was without starting point guard Elijah Hawkins and two key players were mired in foul trouble all evening, with a third joining them late in the Big Ten Conference game. And those that played collectively turned the ball over in bunches.

Despite those factors, the 11.5-point underdog Gophers were tied 62-62 with the Spartans with five minutes remaining, but faded late in a 76-66 loss.

Hawkins, who sprained his ankle in the Iowa loss on Monday, was ruled out before the game. Mike Mitchell Jr. stepped into that role, playing all 40 minutes and scoring 14 points.

Both Cam Christie and Pharrel Payne each picked up a fourth foul within the first four minutes of the second half after picking up three apiece in the first half. Christie fouled out with eight minutes to go. Payne and Mitchell were able to weather having four fouls apiece.

Dawson Garcia continues to come on strong in second halves and helped keep the U in it, with 13 of his 22 points coming after the break.

But Minnesota (12-6, 3-4 Big Ten) made one of its final nine shots and didn’t have a bucket for the final five minutes. The U’s losing streak now reaches three after a seven-game winning streak.

“We showed toughness both mental and physical,” head coach Ben Johnson said on the KTLK postgame show. “And did the things necessary to put ourselves in position to win.”

Michigan State outscored Minnesota 14-4 in the final five minutes, with Spartans guard Tyson Walker pouring it on with 12 of those points.

“He’s a good player, and they run a lot of stuff for him,” Johnson said on the radio of Walker, who finished with 21 points. “We did a good job on him, especially in that first half. And he did what he has been doing this whole season in that second half.”

The Gophers had a chance for their first Quad 1 win of the season, a road victory over a top 75 team. Michigan State (11-7, 2-4) is 21st in NET rankings.

Yet Minnesota’s 19 total turnovers led to 21 points for Michigan State. The Spartans only turned it over five times.

When Christie picked up his fourth and fifth fouls, Spartans students both times chanted “Max is better!” referencing Cam’s older brother, an ex-Spartan-turned Los Angeles Lakers guard. Christie played only 16 minutes, contributing eight points.

“When Cam got the fouls, now you are down two ball handlers, with Elijah being out,” Johnson said on the radio. “You are finding ways to kind of mask it offensively and defensively and try to figure it out on the go.”

The Gophers had 24 total fouls to 17 for Michigan State.

With Payne in foul trouble, the Spartans feasted in the paint with a 24-6 scoring margin down low in the first half. They finished with a staggering 44-12 advantage.

The Gophers were able to stay closer, making four more 3-pointers.

Mitchell hit two treys and busted out of a shooting slump, making 3 of 5 in the first half and 5 of 12 for the game. In the previous three games, he totaled nine points on 4 of 20 from the field.

The Gophers are off until Tuesday, when they host No. 11 Wisconsin at Williams Arena.

“We’ve got to bottle up our mentality that we had (Thursday),” Johnson said. “If we bottle that up with the physical and mental toughness, I think that will springboard us to a good rest of the season.”

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