Final for the #Gophers. pic.twitter.com/o0ClHzmUkE
— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) February 19, 2015
Northwestern knocked down 15 three-pointers on the way to a 72-66 victory over the Gophers at Williams Arena on Wednesday night.
It was the second straight loss for the Gophers, who have given up 33 three’s in the last two games.
The problems started early for Minnesota. After the Hoosiers dropped 18 triples on Minnesota on Sunday night, the Wildcats knocked down nine of them in the first half.
The #Gophers have now allowed 27 3-pointers in the last 3 halves. Indiana was 18-for-32 on Sunday. Northwestern 9-of-17 in the first half.
— Tyler Mason (@tylermason21) February 19, 2015
Bryant McIntosh was a thorn in the Gophers side; he knocked down four from long range and finished with a game-high 17 points. Nathan Taphorn and Vic Law came off the bench for the Wildcats to make three apiece from deep. Taphorn finished with 11.
But despite the three’s and a scoreless first half from leading scorer Andre Hollins, Minnesota went into the break tied at 36.
With 38.2 seconds to play in the first half, Gopher freshman Nate Mason drilled a three, drew a foul and completed the four-point play to bring the Gophers even at 36. Mason had 11 in the first half, but he finished with 15 on the night.
The three-point barrage continued in the second half for Northwestern as they hit five more to create some space.
Hollins tried to keep Minnesota close in the second half. He scored all 12 of his points in the second half. But it just wasn’t enough for the Gophers.
The road doesn’t get any easier for the Gophers. Minnesota (16-11, 5-9) hosts Wisconsin on Saturday.
