But perhaps it was too late, as those first four minutes of missed shots and sloppy turnovers seemed to define the Spartans' momentum for the rest of the night. 

Minnesota’s Liam Robbins, who made 18 points on the night, made 12 points in the game's first 16 minutes. Those 12 were more than MSU’s total 11 points that were tallied at the time.

The Spartans entered halftime shooting 6-for-38 overall and 2-for-12 from beyond the arc. Minnesota, who wasn’t shooting all that great at the start either, entered the locker room at 12-for-29 to give the Gophers the 36-16 halftime lead. 

No MSU player made more than one field goal in the first half. 

MSU freshman guard A.J. Hoggard became the first Spartan to sink two field goals when he made a jumper several minutes into the second. The freshman brought a glimpse of energy to MSU as they followed through with a second chance layup from Thomas Kithier on the following possession and a three pointer from Malik Hall on the next. 

Hoggard finished with nine points on the night.

Henry, who entered the game from the bench for the Spartans, shot 3-for-10 on the night to record the team high 11 points, while grabbing four rebounds.

There simply was nobody who could pull through for the Spartans. Minnesota, on the other hand, seemed to have what MSU was missing, a go-to guy or two.

The Gophers’ Marcus Carr and Robbins caused problems for MSU on both ends of the court.

Standing at 7-feet, Robbins grabbed nine rebounds while blocking three shots. The big man found himself on offense too, contributing 18 points to the Gophers' score. 

Carr, who averaged 24.6 points before the MSU matchup, sunk 19 points for the Gophers, going 7-for-13 overall. 

The Gophers out-rebounded the Spartans 52-36. Minnesota dominated the rest of the stat sheet almost entirely, shooting 48% to MSU 26% and making 40 points in the paint compared to MSU's 16.

MSU will travel to Nebraska on Jan. 2, 2021, looking to start the new year off on a new foot.