Despite a 2nd half surge, Minnesota came up short against Washington
The Washington Huskies earned their first Big Ten road win, beating Minnesota 71-68 at the Barn. Tyler Harris has been averaging around 8 points per game in Big Ten games, but exploded for 23 this morning, going 4/4 from three.
The Big Ten is traditionally known for physical basketball. Winning in this league often requires toughness, both mentally and physically. This morning’s matchup between Minnesota and Washington felt like a classic, Big Ten matchup, even if Washington is brand new to the conference.
But this game took every ounce of physical and mental toughness for the Huskies to come away with their first Big Ten road win of the season.
THE STAT: Rebounding, particularly in the first half, was a significant deficiency for Minnesota this morning. At the half, Washington had 7 offensive rebounds to 0 for the Gophers. They finished the game with a 13-5 offensive rebounding advantage.
If we are looking for a 2nd, significant stat, it would be free throw shooting. Minnesota was 16/24 from the line, while Washington finished 18/21.
TURNING POINT: Trailing by 10 at halftime, Minnesota battled the entire second half to get back into this game. They took a brief lead 52-51, fell behind, and tied it at 64-64 with a Garcia free throw and 2:44 on the clock.
But the next three Gopher possessions were Garcia turnovers. The Huskies pushed the lead out to 67-64 before they turned it over, giving Minnesota new life with 23.9 seconds. But the Huskies made their free throws and held on to win.
HOT: Tyler Harris of Washinton averages 11.5 points per game. The sophomore had 15 at half, going 3/3 from three and finished the game with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block and zero turnovers.
BAD MOVE: Isaac Asuma played 8 minutes in the first half and with Garcia on the bench in foul trouble, was the only offensive threat Minnesota had. He played 8 minutes, had 8 points and was running the offense. Asuma played 0 minutes in the second half. Perhaps he is dealing with an injury, but if he is healthy you have to wonder why he didn’t see the floor.
UP NEXT: A trip to Penn State on Tuesday.