UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.
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Take a look back at Penn State's 80-66 setback
to Minnesota on Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Welcome to the GoPSUsports.com in-game blog for the Nittany Lion basketball team.
We will bring you coverage from tonight's matchup between Penn State (9-9, 1-4) and Minnesota (13-5, 1-4) inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are looking to snap a two-game slide against the Golden Gophers, who picked up their first conference win at Indiana on Thursday night. Penn State and Minnesota have played a series of close games in the BJC, with every meeting between the two teams decided by 11 points or less since 1998 in Happy Valley.
Check back throughout the game for updates.
Starting Lineups
Penn State: G - Frazier, G - Glover, G - Marshall, F - Graham, F - Oliver
Minnesota: G - Welch, G - Hollins, G - Coleman, F - Williams, C - Sampson III
First Half:
15:53 - Minnesota 7, Penn State 4
The tempo has been a bit slower than Penn State likes to play, but the Nittany Lions are off to a solid start defensively. Minnesota has committed three turnovers, thanks to a variety of defensive looks from the Lions. All four of Penn State's points have come from the foul line, but the defense is giving the Lions an opportunity to warm up on the offensive end of the floor.
11:59 - Penn State 16, Minnesota 13
The Nittany Lions have attempted seven shots from the field and seven at the foul line in the opening eight minutes of play. Penn State is 4-for-7 from the field and 6-for-7 from the line, and the end result is a three-point lead on the scoreboard. Tim Frazier and Cam Woodyard have seven points apiece. The Lions have played well on both ends of the floor, but the defensive end will be the place to watch. Penn State must keep the Gophers from pulling down offensive rebounds.
6:20 - Penn State 23, Minnesota 21
Penn State took a 23-15 lead, its largest of the half, on a Frazier 3-pointer from the top of the key. Nonetheless, Minnesota came right back with five-straight points to slice the lead down to 23-21. Woodyard has been the story in the first half. The senior forward has provided a big spark of the bench, scoring 11 points 3-for-4 from the field and 4-for-4 from the foul line. Minnesota is shooting 50 percent form the field, but the Lions lead by two.
0:00 - Minnesota 33, Penn State 31
Despite shooting just 35 percent in the opening 20 minutes, Penn State trails Minnesota by just two at the break. Penn State led by as much as eight, but the Golden Gophers manufactured a 12-3 scoring spurt to claim a 33-28 lead. Woodyard and Sasa Borovnjak combined for three free throws in the final minute to draw within two on the scoreboard. Woodyard eclipsed his career-high in the first half by finishing with 15 points on 3-for-6 shooting and 8-for-8 at the foul line. Frazier also topped the double digit mark (13). Minnesota shot 56 percent from the field in the first half, but the Lions did enough on the offensive end of the floor to stay within striking distance. Penn State needs to play better on the defensive end in the second half, but it is nice to be within two despite shooting just 35 percent.
Jermaine Marshall put the Lions on the board with his first bucket of the afternoon to open the half. It has been all Minnesota since then, as the Gophers rattled off 11-straight tallies to build a 44-33 on the scoreboard. The Gophers have out-scored the Lions 18-4 in the paint. Penn State has made too many mistakes, which have led to easy baskets for the Golden Gophers.
11:45 - Minnesota 44, Penn State 41
Since the 11-0 scoring burst from the Golden Gophers, the Lions have countered with an 8-0 run to trim the lead down to just three. Penn State has not shot the ball well in the second half, but the Lions are getting after the Gophers on defense, which has kept the Lions in the game. A pull-up jumper on the left wing and a nice cut and lay-in from Woodyard capped off the scoring run. Woodyard now has 19 points on the night.
7:44 - Minnesota 56, Penn State 43
Just when things looked to be favoring the Nittany Lions, the Gophers snapped a scoring drought of more than five minutes with an 11-0 scoring run. Minnesota built a 55-41 lead before Jon Graham countered. Penn State has struggled mightily on the offensive end of the floor, shooting just 29 percent for the game and 5-for-22 in the second half. Credit the Gophers for being aggressive in the second half, but the Lions must find to put the ball in the basket.
3:54 - Minnesota 64, Penn State 57
The Nittany Lions clawed their way to within five after back-to-back baskets from Marshall, who is just 3-for-16 in the game. The Gophers answered with a layup, but the Lions are still hanging around despite shooting 30 percent for the game. The officials have been whistle-happy this afternoon in the BJC. Penn State and Minnesota have combined for 56 free throw attempts in 36:06 of game time. Nonetheless, the Nittany Lions need one more run to get within striking distance down the stretch.
0:00 - Minnesota 80, Penn State 66
Penn State got as close as five in the final 4:10, but the Gophers closed things out at the foul line en route to the 14-point victory. Minnesota used a 13-3 run late to cap off a 47-point second half. Woodyard (22) and Frazier (20) led the Lions offensively. Nonetheless, Penn State shot just 30 percent (18-60) on its home floor. It is tough to beat anyone with a shooting percentage like that in your home gym. Minnesota shot 55 percent from the field en route to its second-straight conference victory. Joe Coleman's 23 tallies led the Gophers. Coleman came into the game averaging just 4.5 points per contest.
Additionally, Penn State (9-10, 1-5) needs to do a much better job on the defensive end of the floor. Allowing 80 points, including 65 at the line or in the paint, is a figure the Lions must work on. Credit the Gophers for withstanding a second-half surge from the Nittany Lions. Penn State will get back to work in the practice gym before a Thursday night clash against Illinois (9 p.m.) inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
Follow GoPSUsports.com Media Specialist Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony
Welcome to the GoPSUsports.com in-game blog for the Nittany Lion basketball team.
We will bring you coverage from tonight's matchup between Penn State (9-9, 1-4) and Minnesota (13-5, 1-4) inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are looking to snap a two-game slide against the Golden Gophers, who picked up their first conference win at Indiana on Thursday night. Penn State and Minnesota have played a series of close games in the BJC, with every meeting between the two teams decided by 11 points or less since 1998 in Happy Valley.
Check back throughout the game for updates.
Starting Lineups
Penn State: G - Frazier, G - Glover, G - Marshall, F - Graham, F - Oliver
Minnesota: G - Welch, G - Hollins, G - Coleman, F - Williams, C - Sampson III
First Half:
15:53 - Minnesota 7, Penn State 4
The tempo has been a bit slower than Penn State likes to play, but the Nittany Lions are off to a solid start defensively. Minnesota has committed three turnovers, thanks to a variety of defensive looks from the Lions. All four of Penn State's points have come from the foul line, but the defense is giving the Lions an opportunity to warm up on the offensive end of the floor.
11:59 - Penn State 16, Minnesota 13
The Nittany Lions have attempted seven shots from the field and seven at the foul line in the opening eight minutes of play. Penn State is 4-for-7 from the field and 6-for-7 from the line, and the end result is a three-point lead on the scoreboard. Tim Frazier and Cam Woodyard have seven points apiece. The Lions have played well on both ends of the floor, but the defensive end will be the place to watch. Penn State must keep the Gophers from pulling down offensive rebounds.
6:20 - Penn State 23, Minnesota 21
Penn State took a 23-15 lead, its largest of the half, on a Frazier 3-pointer from the top of the key. Nonetheless, Minnesota came right back with five-straight points to slice the lead down to 23-21. Woodyard has been the story in the first half. The senior forward has provided a big spark of the bench, scoring 11 points 3-for-4 from the field and 4-for-4 from the foul line. Minnesota is shooting 50 percent form the field, but the Lions lead by two.
0:00 - Minnesota 33, Penn State 31
Despite shooting just 35 percent in the opening 20 minutes, Penn State trails Minnesota by just two at the break. Penn State led by as much as eight, but the Golden Gophers manufactured a 12-3 scoring spurt to claim a 33-28 lead. Woodyard and Sasa Borovnjak combined for three free throws in the final minute to draw within two on the scoreboard. Woodyard eclipsed his career-high in the first half by finishing with 15 points on 3-for-6 shooting and 8-for-8 at the foul line. Frazier also topped the double digit mark (13). Minnesota shot 56 percent from the field in the first half, but the Lions did enough on the offensive end of the floor to stay within striking distance. Penn State needs to play better on the defensive end in the second half, but it is nice to be within two despite shooting just 35 percent.
Second Half:
Jermaine Marshall put the Lions on the board with his first bucket of the afternoon to open the half. It has been all Minnesota since then, as the Gophers rattled off 11-straight tallies to build a 44-33 on the scoreboard. The Gophers have out-scored the Lions 18-4 in the paint. Penn State has made too many mistakes, which have led to easy baskets for the Golden Gophers.
11:45 - Minnesota 44, Penn State 41
Since the 11-0 scoring burst from the Golden Gophers, the Lions have countered with an 8-0 run to trim the lead down to just three. Penn State has not shot the ball well in the second half, but the Lions are getting after the Gophers on defense, which has kept the Lions in the game. A pull-up jumper on the left wing and a nice cut and lay-in from Woodyard capped off the scoring run. Woodyard now has 19 points on the night.
7:44 - Minnesota 56, Penn State 43
Just when things looked to be favoring the Nittany Lions, the Gophers snapped a scoring drought of more than five minutes with an 11-0 scoring run. Minnesota built a 55-41 lead before Jon Graham countered. Penn State has struggled mightily on the offensive end of the floor, shooting just 29 percent for the game and 5-for-22 in the second half. Credit the Gophers for being aggressive in the second half, but the Lions must find to put the ball in the basket.
3:54 - Minnesota 64, Penn State 57
The Nittany Lions clawed their way to within five after back-to-back baskets from Marshall, who is just 3-for-16 in the game. The Gophers answered with a layup, but the Lions are still hanging around despite shooting 30 percent for the game. The officials have been whistle-happy this afternoon in the BJC. Penn State and Minnesota have combined for 56 free throw attempts in 36:06 of game time. Nonetheless, the Nittany Lions need one more run to get within striking distance down the stretch.
0:00 - Minnesota 80, Penn State 66
Penn State got as close as five in the final 4:10, but the Gophers closed things out at the foul line en route to the 14-point victory. Minnesota used a 13-3 run late to cap off a 47-point second half. Woodyard (22) and Frazier (20) led the Lions offensively. Nonetheless, Penn State shot just 30 percent (18-60) on its home floor. It is tough to beat anyone with a shooting percentage like that in your home gym. Minnesota shot 55 percent from the field en route to its second-straight conference victory. Joe Coleman's 23 tallies led the Gophers. Coleman came into the game averaging just 4.5 points per contest.
Final Thoughts:
Additionally, Penn State (9-10, 1-5) needs to do a much better job on the defensive end of the floor. Allowing 80 points, including 65 at the line or in the paint, is a figure the Lions must work on. Credit the Gophers for withstanding a second-half surge from the Nittany Lions. Penn State will get back to work in the practice gym before a Thursday night clash against Illinois (9 p.m.) inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
Follow GoPSUsports.com Media Specialist Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony
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