NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY TOOK ON THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MENS’ BASKETBALL TEAM IN A MATCHUP AT THE BARN

North Dakota State University men’s basketball team took on the University Of Minnesota in a nonconference matchup at “the barn” in Minneapolis.


The Gophers came out aggressively at the start of the game. They looked to trap the ball when it was in the corner. The pressure that the Gophers used bothered NDSU at the beginning of the game.


It took a while for each team to get set into their offense. Both teams wanted to take time off of the shot clock.


The Gophers looked to their sharpshooter Blake Hoffarber as he was able to step up and drain some three point shots.

Rodney Williams did a good job of getting the rebounds for Minnesota. He was all over the glass. Rodney also did well diving over the floor going after loose balls.

With 14:27 left to go in the first half the score was Minnesota 10 and NDSU 9.


The Gophers did a good job of going to a man-to-man defense out of the time out. They wanted to shut down NDSU on both ends of the court.


Maverick Ahanmisi stepped up and was able to knock down some three point shots. His teammates were able to get him the ball where it was easy for him to knock down shots.


With 11:59 left to go in the first half the score was Minnesota 16 and NDSU 11.


Both teams battled throughout the first half. Neither of them was able to go on a run in the early goings.

NDSU’s Eric Carlson made shots in the first half. He didn’t bend under the Gophers pressure. Eric kept shooting under control.

The Gophers did a good job of swinging the ball around the three point arch. They were able to wind down the shot clock.


Freddy Coleman for NDSU was left wide open and was able to drain long range three point shots.

With 7:44 left in the first half the score was Minnesota 22 and NDSU 20.


Both teams continued to shoot the ball late in the first half.

With about 5:00 left to go in the first half, Minnesota’s Rodney Williams injured his ankle. He limped off the court and went to the locker room.


With 3:47 left to go in the first half the score was Minnesota 31 and NDSU 26.


The Gophers did a good job of getting everyone involved in the offense. Trevor Mbakwe did a good job of running the court. He made some good baskets in transition.

At halftime the score was Minnesota 42 and NDSU 26.


As the second half got underway the Gophers came out with a lot of intensity. The Gophers went to a zone defense. Their zone defense really has been able to slow opponents down.

Minnesota continued to push the ball in transition. They were able to score quick easy baskets in transition.

Al King Nolen JR got the Gophers in the offensive rhythm. He passed the ball to his teammates and he was able to come away with a few assists.


NDSU made a run at the Gophers midway through the second half. The Gophers were able to respond. They didn’t let NDSU’s run negatively affect them.

Al King Nolen JR was able to able to feed Blake Hoffarber throughout the second half. Blake kept the Gophers in the game by nailing three-point shots from all over the court.


The Gophers offense went stagnant for a period of time in the second half. They could not buy a basket and they were very carless with the basketball.

With 7:03 left to go in the second half the score was Minnesota 61 and NDSU 50.

The Gophers Ralph Sampson came up with a nice slam dunk. He played well throughout out the game.

The Gophers played well throughout the game. They were able to come away with the 84-65 victory over NDSU. The leading scorers for NDSU were Michael Tveidt with 14 points, and Drew Lundberg with 11 points. The leading scores for Minnesota were Blake Hoffarber with 24 points and Trevor Mbakwe with 12 points. After the game NDSU coach Saul Phillips addressed the media and talked about the game.

Tubby Smith and players Blake Hoffarber and Colton Iverson talked about the Minnesota NDSU game.

Rodney Williams who came out of the game with about 5:00 left to go in the first half with an apparent ankle injury did not return to the game, he finished the game with 11:00 and 2 points.