Junior guard Durrell Summers jumps to make a basket while being blocked by Minnesota forward Damian Johnson during the first half of Wednesday’s game at Breslin Center. The Spartans defeated the Golden Gophers 60-53.
Coming into Wednesday night, the Minnesota Golden Gophers led the Big Ten in turnover margin while the Spartans were second last — a recipe for MSU disaster.
So head coach Tom Izzo called the team’s guards into his office in the days leading up to the game and had them focus on decreasing the amount of turnovers.
The result? The Spartans only turned the ball over 10 times — the second fewest this season and almost five fewer than their average — and earned a hard-fought 60-53 victory against Minnesota.
“I think we did a little better job on film work and showing them exactly where they come from and how, if you beat them, they just send a guy out at you from behind,” Izzo said. “I thought our assistants did a very, very good job as far as prepping our guys and our guys followed the game plan and that’s the focus we need.”
The game was a slugfest early, with the officials letting bodies bang in the post, but the Gophers answered the tough Spartans with physical play of their own and grabbed 11 rebounds — seven on the offensive side — in the first eight minutes.
“I think the difference in the game was, early, they had tremendous energy and they got every loose ball; they got every offensive rebound,” Izzo said. “They outworked us in the first half. It wasn’t like we were (not playing well), as I told my guys, but they took it to another level.”
After the Gophers grabbed a 21-20 lead, junior guard Durrell Summers ignited the crowd with a dunk and a breakaway layup to put MSU up 24-21, adding a free throw due to an intentional Minnesota foul. Summers then followed with a 3-point shot. It was a string of plays that Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said changed the game.
“Even though we had the lead, that momentum just shifted so quickly on that one play,” Smith said.
Summers finished with 13 points — after scoring just three in the past two games combined.
The Spartans took a 33-25 lead into halftime.
Each time the Gophers tried to cut into the Spartans’ lead, MSU would answer with a bucket of their own. Minnesota was unable to cut the lead to fewer than five until less than six minutes remained in the game, when Minnesota forward Damian Johnson scored eight straight points for the Gophers and trim MSU’s lead to two.
But a 3-point shot from junior guard Chris Allen put the Spartans back up by five.
Then the Spartans locked down defensively in the final five minutes and shut down the Gophers.
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