The Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team got off to a rough start this season, but are starting to show signs of turning things around after upsetting No. 3 Ohio State at Williams Arena last Sunday.
Minnesota looked to keep things going with a trip to Tulsa to take on Oklahoma State and although the Cowboys mounted a late rally to keep things interesting, the Gophers used a strong first half and a big night from Gabe Kaleschur to pick up an 86-66 win on Saturday evening.
While the Gophers got off to a strong start as a team, they were fueled by some hot shooting from Kalscheur. The sophomore was unconscious from the floor and went 7-for-9 from three-point range for a career-high 34 points.
Timeout Cowboys after @GabrielKalsche1 cleans up the miss for his 21st points of the evening! pic.twitter.com/7SDF5C7X25
— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) December 21, 2019
After the game was tied at 24 late at the eight-minute media timeout, the Gophers responded by going on a 22-7 run to close out the first half and take a 46-31 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, the Gophers were able to expand their lead thanks to the inside presence of Daniel Oturu. The forward was a force against the Cowboys, putting up 22 points to go with eight rebounds as Minnesota opened the second half on a 12-2 run and eventually saw their lead swell to 29 points.
That lead would get a little uncomfortable in the late stages of the game as Oklahoma State chipped it down to 13 with just under seven minutes to go, but a key block by Oturu would allow the Gophers to head north with another victory under their belt.
The Gophers improve to 6-5 on the year with the win and will return home to challenge FIU on Dec. 28. Minnesota will return to Big Ten play on Jan. 2 when it travels to Purdue.
