Gophers 5-0, but Paul Carter injured

Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Eastern Washington’s Brandon Moore (45) fought for a loose ball against the Gophers on Wednesday. The Gophers won 88-67.

Paul Carter had X-rays after injuring his ankle vs. Eastern Washington, the latest player to go down for the undefeated Gophers.

By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune

Last update: November 27, 2008 - 11:10 AM

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Up next: vs. North Dakota State • 1 p.m. Saturday • Williams Arena • TV: Big Ten Network (830-AM)

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Colton Iverson should have been the center of attention, after he presented Exhibit A of his development as an offensive player Wednesday night.

The freshman center led the Gophers with a career-high 20 points and added four assists, five rebounds and a block in an 88-67 victory over Eastern Washington at Williams Arena. He also showed off an arsenal of post moves that seemed to come out of nowhere, after averaging 6.5 points in his first four collegiate games.

"He does that in practice," said sophomore Blake Hoffarber, who finished with 12 points.

But Iverson wasn't the focus, at least not the only one. Junior college transfer Paul Carter, one of the team's few post players, went down in the second half because of a right ankle injury that caused the sophomore to scream in pain before he was carried to the locker room by two teammates. Carter was taken to a hospital for X-rays after he collided with teammate Ralph Sampson III, and his status was unknown late Wednesday.

The Gophers (5-0) haven't been healthy all season. Damian Johnson missed the team's first three games because of a broken left hand before returning ahead of schedule last weekend. Jonathan Williams (surgery to repair a hernia) and leading scorer Lawrence Westbrook (right shin injury) both missed Wednesday's victory. Hoffarber and Sampson both tweaked their ankles Wednesday, coach Tubby Smith said after the game, played in front of an announced crowd of 11,977.

Smith called the game "bittersweet" because of Carter's injury and said the Gophers are so depleted that they will have to use team managers in practice to prepare for Saturday's game against North Dakota State.

"Hopefully, Paul is not seriously injured, but he said he felt something in his ankle," Smith said. The coach began to praise Iverson at the postgame news conference before returning to the issue of injuries.

"It's been crazy," Smith said. "We probably have had more injuries, sicknesses than I think I've experienced in such a short period of time."

To add a bit of insult, the Eagles (3-2) trimmed the Gophers' 47-29 halftime lead down to 65-55 after Carter went out. The Gophers -- who had their share of tense moments in their first four games -- responded by building another large lead late in the game.

They reestablished their tough defense -- 17 points off 14 Eastern Washington turnovers -- and took off with a 23-12 run down the stretch.

Devron Bostick, Johnson and Jamal Abu-Shamala each scored 11 points for the Gophers, who were coming off their toughest victory of the season thus far, a one-point victory at Colorado State on Saturday. They wound up having a much easier time against Eastern Washington, shooting 58.6 precent from the field (34-for-58).

The Eagles' Benny Valentine, a 5-7 guard and a transfer from Texas Tech, led all scorers with 29 points.

"We've got to keep our focus," Hoffarber said. "I feel like we have ups and downs throughout the game."