UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TAKES ON NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY

Our Audio from the post game is up. Clips number 18 & 19.

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are taking on Division-2 Northern State University from Aberdeen South Dakota. This is the last exhibition game before the Gophers open the regular season on November 14th against Concordia St Paul.

As the game starts the Gophers are pushing the ball up the court and Northern State is playing a strong man to man defense. Both teams are trading baskets in this fast paced game. Blake Hoffarber just hit a nice three point shot and the Gophers are trying to feed off his energy. Early in the game the Gophers are shooting 66.7 % from the field.

The Gophers are playing well and have come out with a lot of urgency and purpose. Ralph Sampson has made some nice moves around the basket. With 11:10 left to go in the first half the score is Northern State 15 and Minnesota 15.

The Gophers are pressing midway through the first half. They have been able to hit their shots and Hoffarber has hit both of his 3 pointers.

The Gophers are playing a good aggressive defense. They are talking on their screens and getting through the picks. Colton Iverson has just committed his second foul here with 5:40 left to go in the first half.

Al Nolen Jr. is playing well and is making some good screens and looking to get his players into the game. He has been leading this team by example. He just made a fantastic play, passing the ball around his back on the break and then he made a nice pass to Paul Carter who got the ball in the lane and he went in for a nice layup.
Both teams continue to play well. With 3:30 left to go in the first half the score is the Gophers 34 and Northern State 27.

Devoe Joseph has also played well. He has really made some nice moves to the basket while the Gophers continue their aggressive play.

At half time the score is Minnesota 40 and the Huskies 27. Northern State shot 40 % from the field and the Gophers 58.3%.

As this second half gets under way both teams are have come out strong. The Gophers have shot the ball much better than the Huskies. With 15:37 left to go in the game Northern State is shooting 48.3% and the Gophers 61.3% from the field.

Colton Iverson has come up with a big blocked shot. The Gophers are getting a little sloppy and you can see that Tubby Smith does not like what he is seeing. Al Nolen has just come up with a big steal, to get the Gopher fans on their feet. With 11:42 left to go in the game the Gophers lead 61-42.

Every Gopher is now playing good team basketball and helping each other out. Northern State is pressing the Gopher guard’s full court giving them some problems. Ralph Sampson has picked up his play and looking good from a true freshman. He has had some easy dunks and has made some nice passes and is really starting to fit in to this Gopher’s scheme. It is going to be fun watching him mature as a player this season.

Northern State is not giving up and is still playing aggressive. Lawrence Westbrook has come up with some real nice plays and has shined here in the second half. Al Nolen has been the glue tonight and is showing good leadership on the floor.

With 7:55 left to go in the game, Minnesota leads 70-52.

The Gophers are looking to put this game away and have been able to run their offense and defensive effectively tonight.

The nice thing about these exhibition games is the team has a chance to build some confidence and momentum for regular season, when the competition becomes much stronger.

With 3:41 left to go in the game the score is the Gophers up on the Huskies 82-56.

Al Nolen and Lawrence Westbrook have shown Coach Smith that they are going to be dependable players. Both have played well on both ends of the court and no doubt well be depended on when the Gophers face their Big-10 opponents.

The Gophers end up winning this exhibition game by the score of 92-62. The leading scorers for the Gophers were Lawrence Westbrook with 19 points, Paul Carter 17, and Al Nolen 9. The Gophers ended up shooting the ball much better then Northern State with their 55.9% shooting from the field, while the Huskies were limited to 39.2.