At the Buzzer: Indiana 70, Minnesota 58
Quick thoughts on a 70-58 win at Minnesota:
How it happened
It was a first half of runs at Williams Arena on Wednesday night. Indiana raced to an 8-0 lead to start, but the Gophers answered with their own spurt of 15-4 to grab a three-point lead by the 12:57 mark. After Minnesota opened its biggest lead of the half at 23-18, the Hoosiers closed the half on a 12-2 run over the final 7:27 to grab a 30-25 advantage at the break. The offensive numbers for Indiana were not pretty. The Hoosiers attempted just one 3-pointer, committed eight turnovers and scored just .86 points per possession. Kel’el Ware, despite picking up two fouls, led the way with 12 points and eight rebounds. Indiana’s defense, however, was stellar. The Hoosiers held Minnesota to just 35.7 percent shooting and only .72 points per possession in the first 20 minutes.
By the first media timeout of the first half, Indiana’s lead was 35-28 after an Anthony Walker layup. But Walker landed awkwardly and had to leave with a knee injury. The Hoosiers extended the lead to 11 at 41-30 on a Ware layup in transition, forcing Ben Johnson to take a timeout with 13:18 to play. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Mackenzie Mgbako stretched the IU lead to 15 at 47-32, forcing Johnson to use another timeout with 11:39 left. A 3-pointer by Ware gave the Hoosiers a 17-point lead at 55-38 with 8:32 remaining. And a pair of free throws by Malik Reneau gave the Hoosiers a 59-40 cushion at the 6:40 mark. The Gophers had an 8-2 run to cut the IU lead to 13 at the final media timeout. Indiana, however, stretched the lead back out to 19 out of the timeout and was never challenged the rest of the way. The win improved the Hoosiers to 17-13 and 9-10 in Big Ten play.
Standout performer
Ware led the way for the Hoosiers with 26 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots in 34 minutes. Mgbako added 15 points, including a 3-for-4 performance from the perimeter. Trey Galloway had his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 assists to go along with five steals and four rebounds.
Statistics that stand out
Indiana had 30 made field goals and 28 assists. The Hoosiers made five 3-pointers, all of which came in the second half. And IU also dominated points in the paint 48-32.
Final IU individual statistics
Final tempo-free statistics
Assembly Call postgame show
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
Filed to: Minnesota Golden Gophers