Blowout caps perfect start to season

Marlin Levison, Dml - Minneapolis Star Tribune S

Gophers Ralph Sampson III blocked the shot of High Point's David Singleton.

The Gophers enter Big Ten play undefeated, with their nonconference finale never in doubt after the opening moments.

By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune

Last update: December 29, 2008 - 12:12 AM

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With an 82-56 victory over his alma mater High Point on Sunday, Tubby Smith accomplished something that former Gophers men's basketball coaches Clem Haskins and Jim Dutcher never did.

The 2008-09 Gophers are the first to go 12-0 since the 1948-49 version. The 23rd-ranked Gophers enter Big Ten play Wednesday against No. 11 Michigan State as the conference's lone undefeated team.

Newcomers Devron Bostick (11 points), Devoe Joseph (11) and Ralph Sampson III (who led the team with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting) all tied or established career highs for scoring Sunday. The Gophers made 11 three-pointers, had 13 steals and forced 19 turnovers, all season highs.

"In a game like this, you always worry that you're looking ahead, plus the game after the Christmas break," Smith said. "A lot of guys had a chance to get out there and perform and play. And I think it gave us some confidence, especially going into Big Ten play against Michigan State."

Bostick said the Gophers' steady progress is a good sign that they are making strides at the right time.

"It means that we're getting better as the games are going on and trying to get our confidence up so we can play with the big boys now," said Bostick, a junior college transfer who played 19 minutes, as many as he had in the previous three games combined.

The Panthers have one of America's youngest squads with 13 underclassmen, and it showed. They were led by Eugene Harris, who led all scorers with 18 points.

Lawrence Westbrook hit his first three shots from beyond the arc, leading the Gophers on a 16-7 run to open the game.

After High Point countered with a 9-4 spurt, Colton Iverson followed a Westbrook jumper with a perfectly timed dunk off of the junior guard's first missed three, coming with 8 minutes, 29 seconds remaining in the first half.

That play -- which is becoming a common sight whenever a ball comes off of the rim and Iverson is near the basket -- excited the announced crowd of 13,122 at Williams Arena. From that point, the Gophers took off on a 27-7 stretch to end the half.

After halftime, the Gophers were never threatened, using steady defensive pressure on their way to their largest margin of victory this season.

Smith said the Gophers' chemistry has helped the team gain the moxie it will need in Big Ten play. One concern he has is their progress on the boards; the Gophers grabbed 36 rebounds to High Point's 35 after getting outrebounded their previous three games. Michigan State is the Big Ten's top rebounding team at 39.4 per game.

"We'll have to spend some time working on rebounding in the next couple of days, that's for sure," Smith said.

But after an unblemished nonconference slate -- one that included a victory over a top-10 team -- the rest of the Big Ten might spend some additional time preparing for the Gophers, too.

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