Minnesota Gophers 63
Ohio State Buckeyes 78
Ohio State pulled away down the stretch as they beat the Gophers 78-63 Wednesday night in the Big Ten opener for both clubs.
1. Ohio State freshmen shine
The Buckeye freshmen were too strong for the Gophers down the stretch. JaQuan Lyle keyed a 20-3 run in the second half that allowed Ohio State to pull away.
Lyle finished the night with just four points, but had a career-high 13 assists. Ohio State’s other freshman star, Daniel Giddens, provided some excitement of his own.
Can you say "#BTNStandout!" Watch @OhioStAthletics freshman Daniel Giddens get up for an incredible two-handed dunk! https://t.co/txHHPAsTHO
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) December 31, 2015
Giddens finished with nine points.
2. Second half run does in Minnesota
The Gophers had taken a 45-42 lead before Jordan Murphy picked up his fourth foul. Soon after Murphy went to the bench the Buckeyes went on a massive run to take control of the game.
Ohio State blowing this thing wide open with a 20-3 run that makes it 68-49 after Loving three-pointer.
— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) December 31, 2015
3. More of Morris
Carlos Morris led the Gophers. He finished with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Morris also had six rebounds, one assist and three steals on the night.
Tweet of the Night:
Murphy’s streak of three straight double-doubles was snapped, but not his streak of impressive dunks.
Jordan Murphy cuts into the Ohio State lead with this @GopherMBB dunk! https://t.co/gU94DrK5Ja
— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) December 31, 2015
Up Next:
The Gophers (6-7, 0-1) return to “The Barn” on Saturday as they host Michigan State.
