After nearly pulling the upset of No. 8 Syracuse Monday, the Gopher basketball team nearly did the exact opposite against Division II Maui Invitational host Chaminade Wednesday.
The Gophers trailed by five at the half, and by as many as eight in the second period against the Silverswords.
At one point with Minnesota down seven, the Gophers were shooting just 31 percent from the floor to Chaminade’s 50 percent, while also getting outrebounded 35-27.
Head coach Richard Pitino must’ve said the right thing to his team at the under-12 media timeout with Minnesota down seven, as the Gophers outscored Chaminade 35-13 from that point on to win 83-68.
Maurice Walker had a solid game in his second back from suspension, putting up 10 points, while point guard Deandre Mathieu led the Gophers with 17.
Lee Bailey led Chaminade with 18, but the Silverswords missed 15 of their final 18 shots.
The Gophers take seventh-place at the Maui Invitational, going 1-2 at the tournament, and they return home to face Florida State in the Big Ten-ACC challenge Dec. 3.
