17 assists from point guard breaks 29-year old record
Minnesota could hardly miss from the field and Elijah Hawkins had a record-setting night en route to a 101-65 drubbing of IUPUI in the latest non-conference contest.
The Jaguars entered the game as one of the lowliest teams in the nation and were more than 20-point underdogs before the tip. Perhaps it should have been more.
Joshua Ola-Joseph scored 14 points in the first seven minutes of the game as the Gophers raced out to what would become a 30-point lead by halftime. Minnesota shot a ridiculous 71% from the field in the first half and Elijah Hawkins delivered 11 assists without scoring a point or committing a turnover.
Speaking of Hawkins, the transfer point guard etched his name into the record books by racking up 17 assists, which stands alone as the most in program history. He broke a 29-year old record previously held by Arriel McDonald, who delivered 16 assists in a game in 1994 (fun fact: Dave Thorson was an assistant for the Gophers during that game as well).
The Jaguars were overmatched from the outset as Minnesota seemingly couldn’t miss. Four players finished in double figures, with Cam Christie leading the way with 19 points, while hitting four three points. The Gophers finished with 14 three pointers, shooting 50% from deep.
Parker Fox came to life and had his best game as a Gopher, lighting up the highlight reel with some spectacular dunks that fans had expected since he transferred from Northern State. Fox finished with 16 points on 8-8 shooting.
With winter break coming up the schedule slows down, and the Gophers only have two games remaining in 2023, both winnable contests at home against Ball State and Maine.