The Gophers men’s basketball team mismanaged its way to only 12 points through 16-plus minutes in Tuesday’s first half at Michigan State.
But the Spartans’ poor shooting allowed Minnesota to only be down nine points. Then Tre Holloman went off.
The Cretin-Derham Hall alum drilled three straight 3-pointers as part of a 13-0 run, and the eighth-ranked Spartans cruised to a 73-51 win at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.
Michigan State (18-2, 9-0 Big Ten) has won 13 straight, while Minnesota (11-10, 3-7) saw its three-game winning streak snapped, a spurt that included two wins over ranked teams.
The Spartans were a 14-point favorite and opened up a 36-16 lead at the half on the back of Holloman, a junior who finished with a team-high 12 points.
Dawson Garcia’s second half effort briefly got Minnesota back in the game. The reigning Big Ten player of the week had eight points in the first half and ended with a game-high 21 points. He has had six straight games with 20 or more points.
The Gophers’ turnovers were a death knell in both losses to Michigan State this season.
In the 90-72 defeat at Williams Arena on Dec. 4, Minnesota had 14 turnovers to Michigan State’s seven, and the Spartans had a whopping 27-2 discrepancy in fast-break points in the blowout at the Barn.
“That’s the entire game,” Johnson recalled Monday.
The Gophers had 11 turnovers in the first half Tuesday, and the Spartans took advantage with a 11-0 lead in fast-break points. Minnesota had only one turnover in the second half, but the Spartans were still able to get out and run with 17-3 advantage in transition points.
Gophers starting point guard Lu’Cye Patterson picked up two fouls within the opening 27 seconds of the game, and he sat out for the next 12 minutes. He, Femi Odukale and Parker Fox each failed to score in the first 20 minutes.
Peacock said it was Michigan State’s 27th win over Minnesota, the most against any opponent, since the Breslin Center opened in 1989.
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