Isaiah Ihnen finding his rhythm for Gophers men's basketball team

Forward's 13 points off the bench provided spark for U in Saturday's win over FGCU.

When the Gophers men’s basketball team needed a spark during the first half of a Saturday morning home tilt against Florida Gulf Coast, Isaiah Ihnen came through in a big way.

And his spark could have an impact beyond just Saturday's game. 

Playing without leading scorer Dawson Garcia, out with an ankle injury, the Gophers struggled to find an offensive rhythm early in the first half and found themselves in a nine-point hole.

Then Ihnen checked in.

The forward from Germany quickly knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points overall in 6 minutes, 38 seconds of first-half action. The Gophers heated up with him and turned the nine-point deficit into a four-point halftime lead.

“It did (spark us). He’s obviously a guy that can stress the defense because he can shoot it and just is more offensive firepower when he gets it going,” Gophers coach Ben Johnson said of Ihnen after the game.

The Gophers carried that first-half momentum into the second half, dominating the final 20 minutes on their way to a 77-57 victory over the Eagles.

Ihnen had his fingerprints all over the win. He finished the game with 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting and also added five rebounds, two steals, one block and an assist.

More importantly, he found his rhythm once again for the U.

“Just for him to see one go in — he works as hard as anybody on our team and sticks to the plan and lives in the gym,” Johnson said, “and so you want to see guys rewarded.”

Ihnen spent the better part of the last two years rehabbing from back-to-back ACL tears with teammate Parker Fox, who endured the same unlucky injury fate.

“Over those last two years, we grew very strong together, our friendship,” Ihnen said. “Even today before (Saturday’s) game, Parker came to me and just told me, you know, just to be focused, believes in me. And I say the same thing back to him.”

Both players have made their long-awaited returns this season, and Ihnen started the year hot.

In the Gophers’ first three games, Ihnen averaged 12.7 points per game on 14-of-18 shooting (78%). There was no sign of rust from the two-year layoff.

But then some struggles started to show. Ihnen shot 3 for 21 (14%) in Minnesota’s next six games, and his scoring average plummeted to 5.3 points per game.

Nov 10, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota forward Isaiah Ihnen reacts to his shot against Texas-San Antonio during the first half on Nov. 10, 2023, at Williams Arena in Minneapolis :: Matt Krohn / USA TODAY Sports

That made seeing a few 3-pointers fall Saturday — Ihnen was 3 for 3 from deep — all the more important.

“I think he took good ones, which was good, he didn’t try to force it,” Johnson said. “And when he takes good shots, and he’s in rhythm, and he’s confident, they go in.”

Johnson and the coaching staff had been encouraging Ihnen to stick with it, knowing he had the ability to produce like he did on Saturday.

“Everyone sees me shoot in practice, and the shot is falling. That’s why everyone just kept trusting me, just keep shooting it,” Ihnen said. “And then as soon as I saw one drop, kind of a sense of relief that, ‘OK, I’m back.’ And after that, it’s just fall back on my work.” 

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