With 5 1⁄2 minutes left in the first half Wednesday night against Michigan State, Gophers senior guard Payton Willis dived for a loose ball on the sideline that rolled just out of his reach.
No. 19 Michigan State hands Gophers men's basketball first loss of season, 75-67
Playing in front of a packed home crowd Wednesday didn't help Minnesota, which saw the Spartans shoot 6-for-11 from three-point range in the first half.
December 9, 2021 at 12:20PM
Willis took a deep breath before coach Ben Johnson pulled him up off the floor. Johnson appreciated the hustle. His team wasn't about to lose the effort battle in this Big Ten men's basketball opener.
Playing their first nationally ranked opponent this year, the Gophers had enough fight to keep it close in the end but suffered their first loss of the season, 75-67, to No. 19 Michigan State in front of an announced crowd of 11,178 at Williams Arena.
Facing a 19-point deficit, Johnson never saw any quit in his players, many of whom were newcomers with no Big Ten experience until Wednesday. Most of the fans in attendance remained to see the comeback and stood applauding until the final seconds.
"Our fans understand good basketball," Johnson said. "When our guys give good effort and play the right way, good basketball people appreciate that, especially our fan base. That's just something we always try to do. We're going to play hard for all 40 minutes and try to fight and compete."
In several games this season, the Gophers (7-1) and their no-quit attitude not only kept the games close, but they were able to finish strong and outplay their opponents in crunch time, including Sunday's 81-76 upset victory at Mississippi State.
But the Spartans (8-2), who have only lost to No. 3 Kansas and No. 6 Baylor this season, were a battle-tested team with a Hall of Fame coach, playing with toughness and physicality.
Senior Eric Curry, who finished with 10 of his career-high 18 points in the first half, was the only returning Gophers player who played in the Big Ten last season. His teammates seemed to struggle to adjust to the Spartans' length and athleticism for most of the night.
Minnesota shot 6-for-23 from three-point range, including 2-for-11 in the first half when Michigan State took a 37-24 advantage.
"I just tried to tell the guys you got to come out with the energy from the jump," Curry said. "In this league you can't expect to get smacked in the mouth and always play from behind. I tried to preach out that and just to move on."
Coming off Big Ten player of the week honors Monday, Willis — who had 24 points against Mississippi State — was held to nine points on 3-for-13 shooting against the Spartans.
The Gophers' leading scorer, sophomore forward Jamison Battle, found his rhythm late to finish with 14 of his 17 points in the second half, but he saw even more defensive pressure than in previous games.
"There was a lot of attention on me, but teammates found me and tried to get me the ball," Battle said. "This is how it's going to be with the way the looks are created for me."
The Spartans outscored their counterpart 34-22 in points in the paint, 20-10 off the bench, and won the rebounding battle 44-29, but outside shooting was arguably the difference.
Minnesota entered the game ranked No. 2 in the nation in three-point shooting percentage defense (23.1%), but Michigan State made six of its 10 shots from beyond the arc in the first half.
Defense had been a big part of the Gophers' undefeated start. Johnson said his players struggled early to guard but eventually stayed true to their identity in the end.
Sean Sutherlin, who missed Sunday's game because of a knee injury, ignited the fans when he jumped on a pass and finished with a dunk to cut it to 64-55 with 3:55 left.
Gabe Brown, one of three Spartans who scored a team-high 15 points, slowed Minnesota's run with a three-pointer to give Michigan State a 12-point advantage.
The Gophers, who won several nail-biting games this season, pulled within 73-67 after Luke Loewe's three-pointer off a steal, but they would get no closer.
"With us, it's just a growth process," Johnson said. "What can we take from this game to learn and grow and get better and give our guys confidence. And also tell them against good teams, you can't have that kind of slippage, especially in the best league in the country."
The Gophers will lose senior setter Melani Shaffmaster, but they don’t expect players to leave via the transfer portal.
