Jaylen Crocker-Johnson scored 23 points and Cade Tyson added 19 on a night the Gophers shot 51% from the floor and 45% from deep.
It wasn’t enough to win. Stanford survived Minnesota’s hot shooting, winning 72-68 in Thursday’s Acrisure Invitational in Palm Springs, California — thanks to its domination of the possession game.
The Gophers committed 14 turnovers to Stanford’s eight and were out-rebounded 36-25. Both teams made 25 field goals, but the Cardinal did it with the help of 22 more attempts.
Even with all that, Minnesota (4-3) reclaimed a 58-57 lead with seven minutes to play on a pair of Crocker-Johnson free-throws. But the Cardinal (5-1) responded with a 9-2 run over the next three minutes of play to build enough cushion to hold on at the end.
Minnesota trailed by four in the final 20 seconds of the game when Isaac Asuma hit a triple to bring the Gophers back within one. But, leading by three in the final 10 seconds, Stanford wisely fouled Minnesota with four seconds left, before it could get up a potential game-tying 3-point attempt.
Crocker-Johnson made the first attempt and missed the second, but the Gophers were unable to secure the ensuing rebound attempt.
Ebuka Okorie paced Stanford with 25 points. Minnesota closes out the event with an 8:30 p.m. Friday tilt against Santa Clara.
Related Articles
Brothers in elbows: Gophers’ Cade Tyson and Nuggets’ Hunter Tyson
Men’s basketball: Gophers’ free-throw struggles prove costly in loss to San Francisco
Gophers center Robert Vaihola unlikely to play against San Francisco
Gophers avoid scary upset in 66-54 win over Chicago State
Gophers men’s basketball: Minnesota struggles, but escapes with OT win over Green Bay
Leave a Reply