Takeaways from Minnesota's 85-57 loss to Purdue on Wednesday
The Minnesota Golden Gophers found themselves trailing just 35-32 at halftime, but a disastrous second-half start that saw the Boilermakers start the half on a 21-0 run ended any chances of a victory for Minnesota.
The Gophers are now 5-5 on the season and have lost four of their last five games, with their lone win in the stretch being a 73-64 win over Indiana.
Minnesota in the game shot 35.7% from the floor, including 24.0% from three-point range, while Purdue shot 53.4% overall and 42.1% from deep.
Cade Tyson with an off night
Despite totaling 15 points in the loss, Cade Tyson had one of his toughest performances of the season. He was 4-of-11 from the field, including 0-for-4 from three-point range. He was perfect from the free-throw line, making 7-of-7, but only managed four rebounds as well in the game across 39 minutes. His 15 points were his second-lowest scoring output of the season.
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson steps up offensively
It was a quality night for Jaylen Crocker Johnson, who in 31 minutes totaled 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-9 from three-point range. However, he did record four personal fouls in the game, which limited his time. The Colorado State transfer has been fantastic offensively for Minnesota this season, for the most part, but foul troubles have been a consistent issue. Wednesday’s game was the sixth time in 10 games in which Crocker-Johnson finished with four or five personal fouls.
A tale of two halves
The first half for the Golden Gophers was by no means a perfect one, but at the same time, Niko Medved’s team showed a ton of fight. Purdue jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and at one point, the Boilermakers led 27-15. The Gophers could’ve rolled over, but they would finish the first half on a 9-2 run that made it a 35-32 game heading into halftime.
But in the second half, the Gophers struggled to find anything on either side of the court, Purdue using a 21-point run to turn a once-close halftime lead into 56-32 with 14:01 remaining. The Gophers would find some offensive success after scoring just two points in the opening 9:58, but it would be far too late. The Gophers ended up shooting just 26.9% in the second half and 20% from three-point range.
Gophers dominated in the paint
It was a night to forget for Minnesota in the paint on Wednesday, being outscored 40-24 while also being outrebounded in the game 46-32. No Gophe was able to be consistent on the boards in the loss; Isaac Asuma and Bobby Durkin were tied for the most rebounds for the Gophers with five each. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, a usual strong rebounder, had just two rebounds.
