Gophers Nipped By Illini 54-50 In Big Ten Semis

Courtesy: University of Minnesota http://gophersports.com/ Lawrence McKenzie had 13 points to lead Minnesota this afternoon against Illinois.

The Minnesota men’s basketball team has had the odds stacked against it the entire Big Ten Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse this week. First, the Gophers had to overcome a 16-point deficit in the opening round against Northwestern. Then it took a miracle buzzer-beater by Blake Hoffarber to beat Indiana in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, the Gophers had a 19-game losing streak to Illinois staring at them.

In the end, Minnesota couldn’t clear the third hurdle, falling to Illinois 54-50. The No. 10 seed Illini advance to face top-seeded Wisconsin for the automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

The Gophers (20-13) await their postseason fate tomorrow, looking at a likely bid to the NIT.

Lawrence McKenzie led the Gophers, who shot just 39 percent from the floor, with 13 points. Damian Johnson added eight points. The Gophers held Illinois to 43 percent from the floor. Both teams had 11 turnovers apiece while Illinois held a slim 27-26 rebounding edge in the slow-paced defensive struggle. Shaun Pruitt had a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds to lead the Illini.

Both teams struggled to start the game, combining to make just 4-of-20 from the field. Dan Coleman put back a missed McKenzie jumper put Minnesota on the board on its first possession. Illinois ran off the next seven to lead 7-2. A Calvin Brock 10-foot jumper gave the Illini a 9-5 lead into the second media timeout.

Illinois ran its lead to 13-5 before Johnson ended a 5:30 scoring drought with a steal and breakaway layup with 10:08 on the clock. McKenzie dialed his first three-pointer of the afternoon to pull the Gophers within 15-12 but a Pruitt dunk capped a 7-2 run to give the Illini a 22-14 lead with just under seven minutes remaining. Minnesota proceeded to trim the Illini lead to four at 23-19 on two free throws from Spencer Tollackson, who returned to action after missing the quarterfinal game with an ankle injury.

Illinois ended up with a 29-23 halftime lead. Lawrence Westbrook gave the Gophers some momentum heading into the locker room, hitting a short twisting jumper in the lane with three seconds remaining as Minnesota managed just 9-of-26 shooting. The difference came at the foul line with Illinois hitting 9-of-11 to just 4-of-10 for the Gophers. Pruitt led all scorers with 12 in the first half. Coleman had six to lead Minnesota.

McKenzie came out strong for the Gophers in the second half, scoring their first seven points, pulling the Gophers within two at 32-30 with 13:48 to go. Jon Williams hit a foul line jumper with 12:03 on the clock to knot the game at 32-32 and give Minnesota a 9-3 run to open the second stanza.

Illinois then ran off the next eight points to take a 39-32 lead with 8:52 remaining. Demetri McCamey hit a three and Calvin Brock hit a 15-foot baseline jumper to spark the run. McKenzie ended the slide with a triple of his own to pull Minnesota back within four. After two Westbrook free throws that brought Minnesota within 44-40, Coleman committed his fifth personal foul with 3:54 to go. Pruitt hit two free throws to refresh a six-point edge. A Pruitt dunk on the next Illini possession matched their largest lead of the game at eight points. On the other end, Minnesota couldn’t convert and Illinois continued to extend its lead. Brian Randle hit a driving layup and Minnesota was down 50-40. Damian Johnson managed two free throws with 2:13 left to make the score 50-42.

The Gophers weren’t done yet. Al Nolen drove the length of the floor for a layup and was fouled with 1:37 left. He missed the free throw but the Gophers trimmed the deficit to six. Randle answered with a basket and Nolen hit two free throws on other end after being fouled on the way to the hoop, keeping the Illini lead at six with 1:17 left. A Travis Busch trey with 20.2 seconds left made the score 54-50 as Minnesota continued to foul down the stretch. The Gophers forced Illinois unto a turnover with 15.3 seconds left but McKenzie missed a jumper and Brock snared the board for the Illini and they were able to run out the clock after a lengthy officials conversation questioning the possession and time remaining after Brock fell to the ground after taking contact in the eye.