Gophers limp to uninspiring home victory over Fairleigh Dickinson

A long 12-day break did not seem to help Minnesota on Saturday.

Nov 19, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Ben Johnson looks on after the game against the Cleveland State Vikings at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

It wasn't pretty, but after 12 days without a game, the Gophers men's basketball team returned with a 74-60 win over Fairleigh Dickinson at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Injuries continue to be a story of the Ben Johnson era as the U was without starting big man Frank Mitchell on Saturday, who was out with concussion-like symptoms. Parker Fox replaced him in the starting lineup.

Minnesota looked like a team that hadn't played in 12 days. It was a slow start, as Fairleigh Dickinson (4-10) jumped out to a 7-3 lead, which led to a low-scoring, sloppy first half. The Knights entered the game with the 355th-ranked defense, according to KenPom.com, but the Gophers (7-5) still struggled to score.

The Gophers trailed 21-20 after 20 minutes of basketball. It was surprisingly not the lowest-scoring first half of the season for Minnesota, as the U scored 14 against North Texas and 19 against Yale. The Gophers shot 9 for 30 from the field and coughed up eight first-half turnovers against the Knights.

1⃣ to 2⃣ for 3⃣

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/4ps0oLzHf4

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) December 21, 2024

It was a much different second half, and the Gophers looked like a team with an extreme talent advantage. Minnesota flexed its muscles and outscored Fairleigh Dickinson 54-39 in the half thanks to an efficient 18-for-25 shooting mark (72%) from the field.

Mike Mitchell Jr. and Dawson Garcia led all scorers with 18 points each, while Femi Odukale and Lu'Cye Patterson both added 10 points apiece to the total.

The Gophers will play one final nonconference game on Dec. 29 against Morgan State before full-time Big Ten play begins Jan. 2 at Williams Arena against 16th-ranked Purdue.

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