For the second straight road game, the Gophers faced a ranked opponent vying for the Big Ten regular season title. For the second straight road game, a Minnesota opponent drained a long three-pointer as time ran out in the first half. For the second straight road game, the Gophers kept it close for most of the game but ultimately suffered a double-digit loss.
It was Senior Night in Bloomington, and the Hoosiers (14-3, 25-5) did not disappoint. Led by signature performances by senior D.J. White and freshman Eric Gordon, the Hoosiers beat the Gophers by a 69-55 tally.
Gordon finished with 20 points, including a 12 of 14 (85.7%) performance from the free throw line. D.J. White tallied 17 points in his final game at Assembly Hall, including a long three-pointer, his first of the year, as time expired in the first half. Indiana was 20 of 22 (90.9%) as a team from the free throw line on the night.
Although the final score showed a 14-point margin, the game was truly much closer than the final score. The Gophers led the Hoosiers by a 47-46 score with 8:27 remaining, but Indiana responded with an 18-3 run over the next 6:18 to put the game out of reach for the Gophers.
The hot shooting of Lawrence McKenzie kept the Gophers in the game well into the second half and the game with tied with as little as 7:32 left in the contest. McKenzie finished with 22 points. Dan Coleman added 14 points and led the Gophers with eight rebounds and three blocks.
With the loss, the Gophers (18-11, 8-9) are assured of the sixth seed in next weekend’s Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis. The sixth seed means that the Gophers
will play the Big Ten’s 11th seed in a 5:00 p.m. tip on Thursday, Mar. 13 in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament on ESPN2.
The Gophers will look to even their conference record and avenge an earlier loss to Illinois when they take on the Illini in Champagne this Saturday in a 12:00 p.m. tip.
