Michigan
Minnesota
Minnesota Shoots Down Wolverines from Long Range
2/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Leading the Maize and Blue was forward LaVell Blanchard (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS), who had team highs of 17 points and nine rebounds, four on the offensive glass. Center Chris Young (Plymouth, Mich./Catholic Central HS) also performed well, tallying 15 points (5-of-8 from the field), a team-high three blocks and one steal.
Michigan jumped out to an early 7-3 lead thanks to two free throws by guard Gavin Groninger (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield HS) and five points from Blanchard. Blanchard connected on a 15-foot jumper from the top of the key, then buried a triple from the left corner. Minnesota quickly answered with a 9-0 run, as three different Golden Gophers connected from downtown to give Minnesota a 12-7 advantage at the 16:48 mark in the first half.
Minnesota continued its strong play at the beginning, embarking on an 18-9 run over the next seven minutes to widen its lead to 30-16. The Gophers went on a three-point barrage, connecting on four long-range baskets, including two by forward Shane Shilling.
The Wolverines fought back with a ferocious 11-0 burst, led by strong play from Robinson Jr. and solid team defense. Blanchard started the run by knocking down his second triple from the left corner to cut it to 30-19. Bernard Robinson Jr. (Washington, D.C./New Hampton Prep [N.H.]) then went on an offensive burst of his own, scoring from all areas of the court. He made a running layup, then buried his first triple of the game to cut the deficit to 30-24. Point guard Avery Queen (Moreno Valley, Calif./Redemption Christian Academy [N.Y.]) found Robinson Jr. for an emphatic alley-oop dunk to cut the lead to four. Two free throws by guard Leon Jones (Battle Creek, Mich./Winchendon Prep [Conn.]) made it a 30-28 Gopher advantage with 6:51 remaining in the half.
The Gophers followed with a 7-4 run as center Travarus Bennett scored all of Minnesota's points during the run, giving Minnesota a 37-32 edge. Michigan countered with a layup inside by Young, and Robinson Jr.'s three-pointer from the left corner tied the score at 37-37, the first tie in the ball game. Minnesota moved ahead with a free throw and a layup by reserve Kerwin Fleming.
With under a minute remaining in the half, U-M's Jones made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to three. Jones then found Groninger for a three-pointer from the top of the key, tying the score at 42-42. On the final possession of the first half, Minnesota's Terrance Simmons nailed a deuce to give the Golden Gophers the 44-42 advantage going into halftime. U-M was led by Robinson Jr.'s 12 points, including 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from three-point land. For Minnesota, Bennett had 13 points, including three triples, and four rebounds.
In the second half, Minnesota scored first as Dusty Rychart got inside for a layup. Michigan responded with a fast break layup by Groninger off a nice pass from Queen, but Minnesota then went on a 9-4 run led by two triples from Simmons.
Michigan outscored Minnesota 7-5 over the next four minutes, receiving three free throws from Groninger to start things off. Young made a pair at the foul line, and then connected on a deuce to make narrow Minnesota's lead to 60-55 with 13:51 to play. But an 18-7 Minnesota run, culminated by a triple from Shilling, pushed the Gopher lead to double digits and a 69-58 advantage.
The Gophers continued to pull away, balancing their three-point shots with close baskets inside. Minnesota went on a 7-2 burst to go up 76-60 with over eight minutes remaining. U-M's Queen broke the Minnesota run with a 14-foot jumper just inside the foul line.
At the five-minute mark, Blanchard rebounded and laid in a missed shot to cut the lead to 82-68. Blanchard continued to work hard under the boards, grabbing an offensive rebound and connecting on a conventional three-point play to make it 84-71 with 4:32 remaining. With over two minutes remaining, Queen drove the length of the court for a fast-break layup to make it 86-73, but Michigan would not come closer the rest of the way.
In addition to strong games from Blanchard and Young, Robinson Jr. finished with 14 points and three steals, while Groninger added 10 points. For Minnesota, Simmons netted 30 points, 19 of them in the second half, shooting 5-of-8 from three-point range.
The Wolverines remain at home to take on the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, Feb. 24, at Crisler Arena. Tipoff is at 3:01 p.m.
N O T E S
LaVell Blanchard has now scored in double figures in 13 straight games, while Gavin Groninger has reached double digits in points in his last three games, all as a starter.
Bernard Robinson Jr. tied a career best with three steals against Minnesota. He also had three against Bowling Green (Dec. 13).
Minnesota's 14 three-pointers made tied the third best team performance ever in Crisler Arena, matching Northwestern (Jan. 18, 2000).
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
