In a game against Texas A&M Corpus Christi that Minnesota was expected to win, they managed to hold on in a sloppy contest and finish with a 79-71 victory. It wasn't the prettiest game that the Gophers have played all season, but they'll take the win. Here are three of the takeaways that I got from the game, as well as some of the top performers!

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During the last three games against high major competition, the Gophers turned the ball over just 11 times total. Last night against a smaller Corpus Christi team, the quickness seemed to give Minnesota some issues. There was pressure on the ball and Minnesota just didn't seem to be able to adjust and take care of the ball. Earlier in the season against Western Kentucky we saw a lightning quick guard give the Gophers some issues as well, which is one of the downfalls of starting 6'3, 6'4, and 6'4 as a backcourt trio. Going up against 6' guards you'll have a size advantage, but that quickness of smaller guards seems to be an issue that needs to be addressed this year. Minnesota turned the ball over 28 times, and that is an issue that will be addressed, but hasn't been that big of a problem this season so I'm not terribly concerned about it moving forward.

Because of the turnovers, Minnesota attempted just 43 field goals compared to 70 from Corpus Christi. How was Minnesota still able to win? They shot 58.1% overall and 52.4% from beyond the arc in the win. Those are extremely impressive numbers, which speaks to the level of unselfishness that this team has, as they work for open shots and can have a few different guys step up. Payton Willis shot 5-6 from deep after starting the game 4-4, Jamison Battle and EJ Stephens were both 2-3 from beyond the arc, and even Luke Loewe, who had been struggling shooting the ball this season, went 2-5 from three point range. It's always unlikely that a team shoots this well, but if Minnesota can keep this level of ball movement and balance moving forward, they'll have some solid scoring performances this season.

Eric wasn't even sure he was going to be playing this season, but has really started to get going over the past couple of weeks, putting up career nights in last night's win as well as against Michigan State. Against Michigan State he got going and put up a career high 18 points, and last night he finished with a career high 12 rebounds. After his injuries he's not an elite athlete, but it's encouraging to see him moving better than he did last season. Curry is still a physical presence down low, and when he's playing with that effort down low to not give up an inch of space, it leads to productivity. Rebounding has been an issue for this team, so it's key to see him get going and putting in a couple of really nice performances down low, as it really adds to the level of talent amongst this team.

Payton Willis- 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

EJ Stephens- 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

Eric Curry- 12 rebounds, 5 points, 4 assists, 2 blocks

Terrion Murdix- 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals

Jalen Jackson- 15 points, 5 steals, 3 assists

Trevian Tennyson- 11 points, 2 steals

Minnesota will have a week to recover and game plan as they host Green Bay on December 22nd at William's Arena! The game tips at 7pm and will be available to watch on BTN+. Green Bay is currently 2-8 with just one win against D1 competition. They are led by 6'4 forward Emmanuel Ansong with 13.8, and also feature a freshman point guard Kamari McGee (third leading scorer) who is from my hometown of Racine, Wisconsin.

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