Gophers extend win streak to nine

Jennifer Simonson, Star Tribune

The Gophers’ Colton Iverson dunked during the first half against South Dakota State, helping Minnesota to an 11-0 start and a 74-60 victory Wednesday night.

The Gophers started and finished strong, but some shaky second-half moments vs. SDSU were a concern.

By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune

Last update: December 11, 2008 - 7:17 AM

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GOPHERS 74, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 60

Up next: vs. Louisville • 1 p.m. Dec. 20 at Stadium Shootout in Glendale, Ariz. • TV: FSN (830-AM)

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In the Gophers' final contest before the most significant men's basketball game of their nonconference schedule -- against No. 9 Louisville on Dec. 20 -- South Dakota State didn't pose much of a challenge. Until the second half, of course.

South Dakota State's Clint Sargent scored 11 points in a five-minute span to close a 15-point halftime deficit to five midway through the second half. That push, however, wasn't enough for the Jackrabbits (4-6) to overcome their poor start in a 74-60 victory for the Gophers, played in front of an announced crowd of 12,388 at Williams Arena.

A couple of Gophers career highs -- 11 assists for Al Nolen and 21 points for Damian Johnson -- also helped. As did the team's biggest starting lineup of the season, which featured Colton Iverson (6-10), Ralph Sampson III (6-11) and Johnson (6-7), and recorded 14 blocks.

But Gophers coach Tubby Smith said his team will have to play at a higher level against Louisville, which they play in Glendale, Ariz., as part of the Stadium Shootout. The Cardinals are coached by Smith's predecessor at Kentucky, Rick Pitino.

"We know it will be a real challenge for us to go out there and be able to compete," Smith said. "We'll have to play a lot better than we did tonight to compete with them. But I think we're capable."

Minnesota's 32-for-66 shooting (.485) surpassed South Dakota State's .382 field-goal percentage. But the Gophers, who were without guard Blake Hoffarber because of an ankle injury he suffered against Cornell, made only three of 17 three-point attempts. Forward Paul Carter missed his fourth game in a row because of an ankle sprain.

Still, SDSU's first-half mishaps proved too costly. The Jackrabbits missed their first nine shots and turned over the ball 20 times. That helped the Gophers (9-0) open the game with an 11-0 run on their way to a 39-24 halftime lead.

Minnesota recovered from SDSU's second-half blitz to regain a comfortable advantage. An Iverson block stopped South Dakota State from making it a five-point game, again, with under seven minutes to play.

A Nolen jumper extended the lead to nine, and a Johnson swat led to a turnover on SDSU's next possession. Iverson converted that takeaway into a layup to give Minnesota another double-digit lead with 5:20 to play.

Johnson's 21 points led the Gophers. Lawrence Westbrook had 12, and Sampson scored 10 for the second consecutive game. Sargent's 25 points led all scorers.

The Gophers can now turn their full attention to Louisville. While Minnesota's impressive defense continued against SDSU, a similar second-half slump could doom the Gophers against the Cardinals next week.

Johnson, who also finished with five blocks, six rebounds and a steal, said Minnesota has to learn to play a complete game.

"One thing I think we need to do is learn how to play a full game instead of just one half," Johnson said. "I mean, second half we let them come back and make it into a game when we had a chance to blow it away."

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