The Golden Gopher men's basketball team (16-10, 8-7) claimed a heartbreaking 74-70 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers (18-10, 8-7) in Bloomington, Ind. today. The Maroon and Gold closed the Hoosier lead to one with 5:40 remaining when a Michael Bauer layup brought the score to 64-65. But, Indiana went on to outscore Minnesota 9-6 in the final minutes to earn the win.

The second half was a very tight game with Indiana claiming a lead of five just twice in the half. Down by seven entering the half, Minnesota capped an 11-4 run when Jerry Holman slammed in a dunk to tie the game at 47 with 16:20 on the clock. Indiana kept answering back though, this time outscoring the Gophers 13-8 in the following five minutes and sinking three three-pointers.

The Gophers fought their way back within one with a 9-5 run highlighted by a Michael Bauer layup at 5:40 that brought the score to 64-65. The Hoosiers would not layoff despite a strong offensive push by the Gophers with Kyle Hornsby sinking a three and the Hoosiers making 6-of-8 free throws to close the game and grab the 74-70 win.

Minnesota kept the game close in the first half grabbing the lead early off and staying within one point until the 9:50 mark. Indiana then went on an 8-2 run to bring their lead to seven at the 8:20 point. Rick Rickert slammed in a dunk just seconds later to spark a 7-3 run for Minnesota. Johnson capped Golden Gopher's run with a three- pointer at 6:13 to bring the score to 28-31, in favor of the Hoosiers.

In the following minutes, Indiana went on a 12-5 run extending their lead to 10 with just 1:39 remaining in the first half. But, the Golden Gophers refused to leave the court in a double-figure deficit as Bauer sunk a three-pointer with 25 seconds remaining to bring the score to 36-43 at the buzzer. Bauer had nine first half points, all off three pointers.

Minnesota shot well the entire game closing with a 43.3 shooting percentage on 29-of-67 field goals. The Gophers fell short on three-pointers making just 8-of-27 for 29.6 percent. Indiana was well behind in shooting with a 36.7 percentage, yet capitalized on free throws, making 17-of-22 for 77.3 percent, and three pointers, going 13-of-23 from beyond the arc.

Before fouling out with just 1:00 remaining, Holman led the way for Minnesota with 17 points and four rebounds. Rickert added 15 points and six rebounds and Bauer had 13 points and six rebounds. Maurice Hargrow added 11 points, five boards and five assists.

Indiana was led by a double-double, 22 points and 16 rebounds, from Jeff Newton. Bracey Wright had 21 points and six rebounds.

The Maroon and Gold's road trip continues on Sunday, March 9 at 1:00 p.m. when they will face Illinois. The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS.