Michigan
Minnesota
Wolverines Fall at Minnesota in Big Ten Opener
1/5/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Minnesota (9-2, 1-0 Big Ten) used a 7-0 run to jump to an 11-3 lead early, but Michigan (9-3, 0-1 Big Ten) answered with its first run of the contest and cut the Minnesota lead to three at 16-13 midway through the period. Leon Jones (Battle Creek, Mich./Winchendon Prep) hit three baskets and Gaines had a pair of field goals during the 10-5 run. However, Minnesota was up to the challenge and responded with a 6-0 run before a Jamal Crawford (Renton, Wash./Rainier Beach HS) triple thwarted the Gopher run and left the Wolverines down 22-16 with 7:25 remaining in the first stanza.
Minnesota then regained first-half momentum for good after Michigan freshman LaVell Blanchard (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) was whistled for his third foul at the 6:36 mark of the first half and Michigan trailing 24-16. From there, the Golden Gophers went on a 13-4 run to take control and gain its biggest lead of the half at 37-20 before a triple from Gaines slowed down Minnesota's attack. Minnesota eventually took a 42-27 lead into the intermission. Michigan was paced in the first half by Gaines' 11 points.
Michigan's 15-point halftime deficit was as close as the Wolverines would come until the final minute of regulation as Minnesota carried its first-half momentum into the second frame. Despite a Josh Asselin (Caro, Mich./Caro HS) dunk and a Brandon Smith (Amarillo, Texas/Palo Duro HS) basket, the Gophers were able to push their lead to 19 at 52-33 heading into the first timeout of the second half at the 15:48 mark.
Coming out of the timeout, Minnesota outscored the Wolverines 18-10 over the next eight minutes to put the game out of reach, leading 70-43 with 8:00 to play. Michigan's field goals during the Gopher run included a jump-hook from senior center Pete Vignier (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck HS). The Wolverines, however, continued to play hard down the stretch and used a 18-7 run to trim the deficit to 15 at 83-68 late. Michigan's late success was keyed by the shooting of freshman guard Gavin Groninger (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield HS), who drilled a triple and a pair of 18-foot jumpers for the Wolverines.
Gaines led the Michigan attack with 15 points, while backcourt mate Crawford came up nine of his 12 points in the second. Playing in just his second game of the season, junior forward Smith tied for game-high honors with a career-best 11 rebounds.
The Wolverines continue Big Ten play on the road with a contest at Purdue University on Saturday (Jan. 8) at 2:30 p.m. from Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
