Gophers rain down threes to put away Rutgers, 80-61

As Gophers forward Bobby Durkin rained down three-pointers at Williams Arena, the maroon and gold faithful rained down “Bobby! Bobby!” chants on the junior forward.

Durkin’s second-half downpour included three consecutive three-point shots that helped the Gophers men’s basketball team defeat visiting Rutgers 80-61 on Saturday, Feb. 21.

The modest crowd that turned out to support the Gophers (13-14, 6-10 Big Ten) was rewarded with a dominant effort, marking Minnesota’s first back-to-back wins under coach Niko Medved since Jan. 3-6.

With four games left in the Big Ten regular season, this win may help the Gophers stay out of the conference cellar, where the bottom four teams open the first round of the conference tournament on Tuesday, March 10. Both Minnesota and Rutgers are on that bubble.

“One of our first goals is we want to avoid Tuesday in the Big Ten Tournament,” Medved said. “From where we’re at, that’s a good first goal. ... We knew this one was massive in that regard.”

“We’ve tried to frame that there’s a lot to play for,” Medved continued. “The biggest thing this group wanted to do is ... be the group that kind of changed the culture.”

Durkin’s third three-pointer lifted fans from their seats and increased the Gophers’ lead to 50-32 over Rutgers in the second half. Guard Isaac Asuma threw up three fingers to the crowd after hitting another trey during Minnesota’s next possession. Durkin finished with 12 points — all off four threes in the second half.

Guard Langston Reynolds lifted them out of their early funk.

Reynolds scored four points during a 9-0 run that pushed Minnesota out in front with a 19-12 lead. The senior transfer from Northern Colorado continued to be a steadying presence for Medved’s first Gophers team. He chipped in 19 points and nine assists, including pinpoint passes that initiated layups, while also scoring 13 of the team’s first 28 points.

The Gophers’ Cade Tyson led all scorers with 27 points and shot 7-for-9 from deep. Tyson was also happy to collect Rutgers’ many missed shots, finishing with 10 rebounds while adjusting to life without Gophers forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson.

“Looked like he was shooting in the Pacific Ocean,” Medved said of Tyson’s shooting, “but really I thought it started on the glass. I thought he was playing hard and physical knowing we were undersized.”

“He really set the tone that way for us,” Medved added. “You could just tell he had a different edge to him and that was massive.”

“[Francis] wasn’t able to get in the paint today and create as much,” Medved said.

Reynolds’ five turnovers included a traveling call, which Rutgers guard Kaden Powers followed up with a jumper. The shot pulled the Scarlet Knights within 19-16 with five minutes left before halftime.

The reliable Reynolds answered with his own jumper on the next possession, and Rutgers never got within three points again.

Asuma, the sophomore from Cherry, Minn., added 11 points and six assists. He shot 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, including a shot clock-beating three before halftime.

Asuma’s shot gave the Gophers a 36-23 lead at intermission.

Tyson The transfer from North Carolina scored his most points (27) and collected his most rebounds (10) in a Big Ten game to date. The Gophers’ leading scorer made his impact felt both in the paint, where he helped a frontcourt without Crocker-Johnson, and from beyond the arc, where he made 4 of 6 shots after halftime.

The Gophers finished with a 31-22 edge on the boards, thanks in part to the 6-foot-7 Tyson skying over a Rutgers frontcourt featuring 6-8 forward Dylan Grant and 6-10 center Emmanuel Ogbole.

“Definitely having to guard bigger, more physical guys,” Tyson said. “Having to play [center], which I’ve never had to do in all my years of playing basketball, but I feel like I’m adjusting well.”

0 bench points It’s hard for a bench to score when only one guy can come off it. With freshman forward Grayson Grove elevated to a starting role in Crocker-Johnson’s absence, freshman guard Kai Shinholster was the lone man off the bench and did not score.

The shorthanded Gophers played a third game without Crocker-Johnson, who is expected to miss the rest of the season because of a foot injury. They’re also playing without starting point guard Chansey Willis Jr. (foot), starting center Robert Vaihola (knee) and forward BJ Omot (leg).

“We joke,” Medved said, “like, ‘Grayson, what hoop do you want?’ He’s the only guy down there. There’s like 10 people working with him and he’s the only one down there working and he’s just like, ‘Bring it on!’ They just have a great attitude that way.”

Each Gophers starter played at least 36 of 40 minutes against Rutgers. Minnesota has not had more than six points off the bench since Jan. 24 vs. Nebraska, a seven-game stretch.

The Gophers hit the road to face No. 1-ranked Michigan, whose 15-1 record in the Big Ten includes 11 consecutive conference wins. The towering Wolverines, featuring three big men over 6-9, are the Big Ten’s top-ranked scoring (87.3), shooting (50.8%) and blocking (6.1) team in conference play.