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Iverson Scores 14 As Gophers Drop Virginia
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Freshman Colton Iverson had 14 points and seven rebounds to lead Minnesota to a 66-56 victory over Virginia on Tuesday night.
Blake Hoffarber scored 12 points, Damien Johnson had three steals and three blocks and Al Nolen added five steals for defensive-minded Minnesota (7-0), which scored 20 points off 19 Virginia turnovers.
Star freshman Sylven Landesberg scored 10 points on 1-for-11 shooting for the Cavaliers (3-3), who shot just 31 percent from the field. The McDonald’s All-American entered the night leading young Virginia in scoring with 20.8 points per game. But his lone field goal came with 1:31 to play and the outcome already decided.
It was just the second win for the Big Ten in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Jamil Tucker led Virginia with 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting from 3-point range.
Down seven after the first 10 minutes, Iverson scored six points during a 12-0 run, punctuating the spurt with a rebound dunk off a miss from Johnson to give the Gophers a 26-18 lead.
Johnson’s defense was critical during the run. He had steals on consecutive possessions that were turned into points, then swatted away a 3-point attempt by Tucker on the third straight Cavaliers trip down the floor to get the crowd rocking.
The Gophers improved to 7-0 for the first time since 1976, but this start deserves an asterisk in a nonconference schedule filled with more cream than a double-stuffed Oreo.
Coach Tubby Smith packed it with softies like Eastern Washington, North Dakota State and Georgia State in an effort to build this young team’s confidence — and win total — early before Big Ten play begins.
Virginia isn’t exactly a heavyweight either. With only two seniors on the roster, the Cavaliers were picked to finish last in the ACC, but they do hail from a power conference that has dominated its Midwestern counterparts in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Yet the difference in athleticism was apparent in the early going, when Virginia overcame poor shooting with quick hands and good work on the boards to take a seven-point lead in the first 10 minutes.
It took a while for the Gophers to get used to the increase in talent, especially without one of their most athletic players in Paul Carter, who missed the game with an ankle injury.
The Gophers held Virginia to one field goal in the first 6¬Ω minutes of the second half, building a 12-point lead in the process.
Unlike the Bowling Greens and Concordia-St. Pauls of the world, however, Virginia didn’t fold in the moment.
Calvin Baker’s floater in the lane capped an 8-0 run that cut Minnesota’s lead to four midway through the period.
But Hoffarber came right back with a 3-pointer, and Nolen’s steal and dunk got the lead back up to 11 points in a flash to stave off the Cavs.
Blake Hoffarber scored 12 points, Damien Johnson had three steals and three blocks and Al Nolen added five steals for defensive-minded Minnesota (7-0), which scored 20 points off 19 Virginia turnovers.
Star freshman Sylven Landesberg scored 10 points on 1-for-11 shooting for the Cavaliers (3-3), who shot just 31 percent from the field. The McDonald’s All-American entered the night leading young Virginia in scoring with 20.8 points per game. But his lone field goal came with 1:31 to play and the outcome already decided.
It was just the second win for the Big Ten in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Jamil Tucker led Virginia with 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting from 3-point range.
Down seven after the first 10 minutes, Iverson scored six points during a 12-0 run, punctuating the spurt with a rebound dunk off a miss from Johnson to give the Gophers a 26-18 lead.
Johnson’s defense was critical during the run. He had steals on consecutive possessions that were turned into points, then swatted away a 3-point attempt by Tucker on the third straight Cavaliers trip down the floor to get the crowd rocking.
The Gophers improved to 7-0 for the first time since 1976, but this start deserves an asterisk in a nonconference schedule filled with more cream than a double-stuffed Oreo.
Coach Tubby Smith packed it with softies like Eastern Washington, North Dakota State and Georgia State in an effort to build this young team’s confidence — and win total — early before Big Ten play begins.
Virginia isn’t exactly a heavyweight either. With only two seniors on the roster, the Cavaliers were picked to finish last in the ACC, but they do hail from a power conference that has dominated its Midwestern counterparts in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Yet the difference in athleticism was apparent in the early going, when Virginia overcame poor shooting with quick hands and good work on the boards to take a seven-point lead in the first 10 minutes.
It took a while for the Gophers to get used to the increase in talent, especially without one of their most athletic players in Paul Carter, who missed the game with an ankle injury.
The Gophers held Virginia to one field goal in the first 6¬Ω minutes of the second half, building a 12-point lead in the process.
Unlike the Bowling Greens and Concordia-St. Pauls of the world, however, Virginia didn’t fold in the moment.
Calvin Baker’s floater in the lane capped an 8-0 run that cut Minnesota’s lead to four midway through the period.
But Hoffarber came right back with a 3-pointer, and Nolen’s steal and dunk got the lead back up to 11 points in a flash to stave off the Cavs.
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