Gopher men’s basketball leading-scorer Andre Hollins returned earlier than expected from an ankle injury that caused him to miss the previous two games, but he was unable to give Minnesota the offensive boost they needed, and after three overtimes, the Gophers fell to Purdue 77-74.
It was thought that Hollins was out Wednesday and perhaps even Saturday against Indiana, but came back to face the Boilermakers on a day the Gophers arrived just hours before tipoff, their Tuesday flight unable to depart because of weather in West Lafayette.
Dre’s day didn’t go so smoothly, hitting on just 3-of-14 shots from the field, and had Purdue been able to hit their free throws late in the second half, the game would’ve been over in regulation.
But Purdue’s struggles at the charity stripe led to Austin Hollins tying the game as time expired, sending the contest to overtime.
Once there, low scoring sessions ensued, four points per side in each of the first two overtimes.
The third extra period finally decided things, though the Boilermakers gave Minnesota three chances to tie the game by once again missing multiple free throws that would’ve sealed the victory.
Purdue was just 9-23 from the line, but made up for it by out-rebounding Minnesota 40-28. A.J. Hammons led the Boilermakers with 20 points, while Maurice Walker paced the Gophers with 17.
Minnesota drops to 4-6 in the conference and have lost three Big Ten games in a row, while Purdue improves to the same conference mark.
The Gophers and Indiana mix it up Saturday, a 7:15 p.m. tap at Williams Arena.
