National Basketball Association
Minnesota 92, South Carolina Upstate 77
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, November 10, 2017
Where: Williams Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials:
# Kelly Pfeifer, # Mark Riggs, # Luke Schumer
Attendance:
10836
By The Sports Xchange
Despite a 3-point barrage from USC Upstate on Friday night, No. 15 Minnesota got its highly-anticipated college basketball season off to a good start.
Forward Jordan Murphy scored a game-high 35 points and center Reggie Lynch added 15 as the Golden Gophers overpowered the smaller Spartans inside for a 92-77 non-conference win at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
Murphy and Lynch finished with double-doubles, with Murphy pulling down 15 boards and Lynch grabbing 10, as Minnesota used its advantages in height and heft. It finished with a 54-35 rebounding margin against an opponent that started no one taller than 6-foot-7, 202-pound Ramel Thompkins.
The 6-6, 250-pound Murphy and 6-10, 265-pound Lynch were simply too much to handle for USC Upstate, although it tried gamely by pouring in one 3-pointer after another. The Spartans canned 14 for the night, including four in the first 5:40 as they established a 14-10 lead.
Malik Moore fired in 23 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists for USC Upstate, while Jure Span led the long-distance outburst by hitting 5 of 6 tries and scoring 19 points. Guard Mike Cunningham contributed 13, although he hit just 5 of 17 field goal attempts, and Thompkins finished with 11 points plus 10 rebounds.
Point guard Nate Mason scored 11 points for the Golden Gophers despite a rough shooting night, as he made only 3 of 10 tries. Mason chipped in five rebounds and four assists.
The Spartans were tied 31-31 late in the first half before Minnesota closed with a 12-2 run. Murphy's layup with a second left sent the Golden Gophers into the break with a 10-point advantage.
NOTES: Minnesota's preseason ranking is its first to start a season since 2009-10, when it was 25th. It's the Golden Gophers' highest ranking to begin a season since 1993-94, when it was rated 10th. ... USC Upstate G Mike Cunningham, the team's leading returning scorer and assist man from last season, was a unanimous choice to the preseason All-Atlantic Sun Conference team. ... Minnesota beefed up its program for next season by signing F Jarvis Omersa and C Daniel Oturu on Wednesday during the early signing period. Some observers rate it a top 25 class nationally.
Top Game Performances
| South Carolina Upstate |
|
Minnesota |
|
Malik Moore 23 |
Scoring |
Jordan Murphy 35 |
|
Malik Moore 4 |
Assists |
Isaiah Washington 5 |
|
Ramel Thompkins 10 |
Rebounds |
Jordan Murphy 15 |
|
Malik Moore 9 |
Free Throws Made |
Jordan Murphy 9 |
|
Mike Cunningham 2 |
Steals |
Nate Mason 2 |
|
Malik Moore 2 |
Blocks |
Reggie Lynch 4 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| South Carolina Upstate
|
77 |
38.2 |
14-31 |
11-16 |
13 |
32 |
2 |
5 |
12 |
| Minnesota
|
92 |
45.7 |
9-28 |
19-31 |
20 |
49 |
6 |
3 |
13 |
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