Tubby secures win No. 400

Challenged to improve their performance, Minnesota's most experienced players helped Tubby Smith secure victory No. 400.

By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune

Last update: February 1, 2008 - 7:28 AM

ANN ARBOR, MICH. - Three-fourths of the way into the game Thursday night, a grinning Spencer Tollackson walked toward Lawrence McKenzie and slapped his roommate's hand. Wolverines fans were heading for the parking lots, while many others were looking for their car keys, and it was all Minnesota's fault.

The Gophers led by 21 points at the time, and those fans didn't want to see the end of what was ultimately a 77-65 victory -- after a late Michigan rally -- for Minnesota. With the victory, the Gophers (13-6, 3-4 Big Ten) ended a three-game losing streak and gave coach Tubby Smith the 400th victory of his career.

Smith called out senior starters Tollackson, McKenzie and Dan Coleman in the locker room prior to the game. Their production recently had been down. But Thursday, Smith was pleased they answered his call.

"Expectation is high for them," he said, before adding: "I thought they were great tonight. You hope you don't have to do that again."

Tollackson scored 14 points. McKenzie scored a team-high 18, carrying the Gophers in the second half.

Coleman had his fourth double-double this season, with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The senior trio played a combined 109 minutes.

"I've never been on a team that wants to win as much as this one does, and I thought it showed in our style of play tonight and our aggressiveness," said Tollackson, who grabbed four of the team's 35 rebounds and also had a game-high five steals. "We hadn't played that well in a long time."

Sophomore guard Lawrence Westbrook said the Gophers couldn't afford another defeat.

"There's no excuses; there comes a time -- we lost three in a row -- that you need a win," said Westbrook, whose 15 points and 32 minutes were both season highs.

Minnesota consistently displayed an energy and physicality unseen in its previous three losses. Tollackson said a small but vocal contingent of Gophers fans gave the team a boost. At times, they were louder than the 8,645 Wolverines fans who faded away midway into the second half.

The Gophers held the Big Ten's worst shooting team to a 36.2 percent field-goal mark, while they hit 58.5 percent of their shots against the Wolverines (5-16, 1-8 Big Ten). Minnesota forced 17 turnovers, but also coughed up the ball an equal number of times.

The Gophers had to fight off a late Michigan rally, led by Wolverines freshman Manny Harris (a game-high 19 points) that shrunk a 22-point lead with 6:02 remaining down to 10 with 2:25 to go in the game. But Minnesota hit six out of eight free-throw attempts down the stretch to hold off the Wolverines.

The Gophers' victory spoiled a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Wolverines' home, Crisler Arena, but provided a milestone for their coach. Smith said he never focused on his 400th career victory, although he smiled as he talked about it after the game.

"You don't even realize it's 400," he said. "No one's counting."

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