Bucknell University
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Minnesota
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Minnesota Rallies Late to Turn Back Bison Men in Season Opener, 70-58
11/12/2011 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2011
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Wooden Award candidate Trevor Mbakwe scored nine of his game-high 17 points in the final 5:30, helping Minnesota erase a five-point deficit at the time and rally past Bucknell 70-58 on Friday night before 11,976 fans at Williams Arena. Bryson Johnson posted 16 points and local product Mike Muscala recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but the Bison did not make another field goal after taking a 53-48 lead late in the game.
The season opener for both teams was a defensive struggle for most of the night, as neither side shot better than 40 percent and both finished with more made free throws than field goals. Bucknell had been doing a solid job defending Mbakwe and talented frontcourt mates Ralph Sampson III and Rodney Williams, and the Bison appeared to make some headway in a back-and-forth affair with three straight made 3-pointers in the late stages.
Cameron Ayers, who finished with 13 points, knocked down a 3-pointer at the 7:30 mark of the second half to put the Bison in front 47-45. After Williams went 1-for-2 from the line, Bryan Cohen buried a trey from the right corner, and then Ayers answered an Austin Hollins tip-in with yet another 3-pointer, giving the Bison a 53-48 lead with 5:30 to go.
But the Golden Gophers scored the next 10 points and finished the game on a 22-5 run. After a pair of Mbakwe free throws made it 53-50, Hollins hit one of only three Minnesota 3-pointers in the game, tying it at 53-apiece with 4:56 left.
At the other end, Ayers blew by a defender but Sampson came from behind to block his shot, and after an exchange of turnovers, Minnesota went up for good on two more free throws by Mbakwe. Inside three minutes to play, Ryan Hill got to the rim but couldn't finish, and then Austin Hollins hit all three free throws after being fouled on a three from the left corner.
Johnson ended the 10-0 run with a pair from the line, but then a Julian Welch turned a backdoor cut into a 3-point play. It was 61-57 after two more Johnson charity tosses with 1:56 left, then Mbakwe scored five straight points around a Bucknell miss and a turnover, and the lead ultimately stretch to a dozen after the Minnesota finished strong at the foul line.
The Golden Gophers jumped out quickly, with an Andre Hollins 3-pointer keying a 7-0 run to open the game. A timeout settled things down for the Bison, who shot right back with six straight points. Ayers hit the team's first shot of season on a floater in the lane at the 16:46 mark, and then Joe Willman hit a pair of mid-range jumpers to make it 7-6.
Later in the half the Bison trailed 12-6 when Johnson got hot. He hit 3-pointers on three straight possessions, the last of which was a remarkable shot from deep on the left wing with a defender draped all over him. That trey pulled Bucknell within 17-15, and Cohen tied the score for the first time at 17-apiece with a pair of free throws.
Minnesota's forte is crashing the offensive glass, and its next three buckets all came on dunks following offensive rebounds. Ralph Sampson III's 19-foot pull-up jumper put the Gophers back up by seven at 31-24, but Bucknell got back within a pair on an Enoch Andoh jump-hook and Johnson's fourth 3-pointer of the half.
The two teams traded baskets in the final 23 seconds of the half, and Minnesota took a 33-31 lead into the locker room.
Bucknell stayed in the game against the bigger Golden Gophers despite tough nights from its own big men. Muscala, a native of nearby Roseville, battled hard all night for his double-double, despite converting only 2 of 10 attempts from the floor. He got to the line 10 times, making eight. Willman had the hot hand early, but he was in foul trouble for much of the night and finished with just those four points in 16 minutes. Four of his five fouls came away from the ball.
Freshmen Steven Kaspar and Joshea Singleton both made their Bison debuts in the second half. Hill led the reserves with 24 minutes at the point guard spot.
Bucknell shot 45.8 percent from the floor in the first half but was held to 5-for-22 shooting in the second. The Bison ended up at 34.8 percent overall. They also went 7-for-16 from the 3-point arc and 19-for-23 from the foul line.
Minnesota shot an even 40.0 percent from the floor, including a 3-for-15 showing from the 3-point arc. The Golden Gophers were 23-for-35 from the foul line, but they made 15 of their last 17 in crunch time. Minnesota outrebounded Bucknell 41-33 and blocked six shots to Bucknell's one.
The Bison were trying to hand Minnesota its first loss in a home season-opener in 23 years, and they fell just short of beating an active member of the Big Ten for the first time in program history.
Bucknell's difficult non-conference schedule continues next Tuesday at seventh-ranked Vanderbilt.
