After trailing by more than 20 during the second half, Minnesota rallied and made it a one possession game with roughly a minute to go against Iowa. In the end, Minnesota was unable to complete the comeback and fell to Iowa 81-71. Here are three takeaways from the game!
Bigger Role For Treyton Thompson?
The 7' freshman came off the bench in the second half and immediately made an impact. He played a key role in Minnesota's late surge, as he had a strong finish through a foul, and adding in two more scores on his way to 8 points in 11 minutes. Had some moments defensively as well where his length caused some issues for the opposing team. With Minnesota playing without Eric Curry and Danny Ogele, the opportunity was there for Treyton to get minutes, and he took full advantage of that opportunity. We're still unsure of when Eric Curry will be back in the lineup from his ankle injury, but with this performance Treyton may have earned himself some more minutes down the road.
EJ Stephens Is Picking Up Momentum
Against Michigan State it was 18 points, and earlier today EJ put up a team high 22 points, shooting 9-15 from the field. The 6'3 guard was in takeover mode in the second half, as he showed that can can get to the rim and isn't afraid to finish over size. Knocked down a pair of threes as well, and his offensive abilities were a key reason that Minnesota was able to keep things close down the stretch. Showing he's more than a third option for this team, but rather someone who can step up and take over a game at any given moment.
Rebounding Struggles A Deciding Factor
Minnesota is already a poor rebounding team, so the absence of Eric Curry was especially noticeable in that area. I believe at one point in the first half, Iowa had 10 second chance points compared to zero for Minnesota. Overall, Iowa secured 15 offensive boards, and that helped them attempt 13 more field goal attempts than Minnesota. When you consider that the Gophers were within one possession towards the end of the game, those extra shots for Iowa make all of the difference.
Key Performers For Minnesota
EJ Stephens- 22 points
Jamison Battle- 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
Treyton Thompson- 8 points, 2 rebounds, 11 minutes
Key Performers For Iowa
Keegan Murray- 25 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals
Filip Rebraca- 12 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks
Joe Toussaint- 8 points, 7 assists
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