This may just be how it’s going to be this year.
Wichita State’s Harlond Beverly nailed an off-balance three as time expired in regulation to send the game into overtime where the Shockers pulled away and advanced in the ESPN Events Invitational.
It was a tight game where no team led by more than four until the final couple of minutes when the Gophers were up 5 with 2:34. They trailed by two or four throughout most of the game until the final 10 minutes when the Gophers took the lead and appeared to be in control.
Ben Johnson’s team led 55-50 at 2:34 and held on to the lead into the final seconds. Isaac Asuma hit two free throws with 10 seconds left, putting the Gophers back up three. Instead of fouling the Shockers as they brought the ball up, Johnson let his team defend in the half-court and Beverly hit the game-tying three to send the game into OT.
In OT, the Shockers quickly opened a 5-point lead and Minnesota battled back to tie it while Dawson Garcia was on the bench from fouling out. Frank Mitchell fouled Justin Hill on the perimeter with 4 seconds left, Hill made both free throws, Brendan Rigsby had an off-balance look at a three that hit the iron, bounced high and rattled out.
THE TURNING POINT: The point when this looked like Minnesota was going to squander the lead was just under the 3-minute mark. Lu’Cye Patterson missed a three with 2:56 on the clock and a 4-point lead. Asuma grabbed the offensive rebound and Ben Johnson instructed his team to pull it out and run the clock down. With two and a half minutes left and only up four, they were playing not to lose.
HOT: Asuma may have only scored 5 points on 1/5 shooting, but the freshman guard had 10 rebounds and was the only Gopher with a positive +/- for the game.
NOT: Garcia struggled mightily in Florida. The Gopher’s leading scorer and key player managed to score 4 points on 1/7 shooting and fouled out early in the overtime period. It wasn’t just missing shots or forcing shots, but the Gopher offense would go stretches without attempting to get their best offensive player the ball.
NOTABLE: Patterson and Femi Odukale started to gain some offensive confidence in the Wichita game. Garcia was non-existent so it was Patterson who scored 14 and Odukale had 13, both playing over 40 minutes.
UP NEXT: Wake Forest, who lost to Florida 75-58 on Thursday afternoon. The game will be at noon on ESPN2.