Minnesota sneaks past Cleveland State for second straight hard-fought win

Cleveland State gave the Gophers all they could handle for 40 minutes.

Nov 19, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Brennan Rigsby (24) controls the ball as Cleveland State Vikings guard Je'Shawn Stevenson (4) defends during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Gophers had their fourth straight non-conference barn burner and they picked up their second straight win, sneaking past Cleveland State 58-47 Tuesday night in Minneapolis.

Minnesota rolled with the same starting lineup for the third straight game. Dawson Garcia was joined by Frank Mitchell in the frontcourt, while Lu'Cye Patterson, Brennan Risby and Femi Odukale filled out the group.

The Gophers were able to come out with a little more urgency. They topped 20 first-half points for the first time since their game against Omaha and their 31 points were their most since the season-opener against Oral Roberts. Parker Fox's first career three with Minnesota came at the first-half buzzer, which resulted in a 31-29 lead heading into the locker room.

Parker Fox is now 1-6 from three in his #Gophers career.

pic.twitter.com/xUey8FHmqr

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) November 20, 2024

Rigsby continued his momentum from Saturday's 15-point game and led all scorers with 10 points in the first half. Fox was close behind with nine. Minnesota's 13-5 lead in bench points was the difference in the first 20 minutes of play.

Much like the first half, Minnesota quickly moved Patterson and Mitchell to the bench after starting the second half. Their most effective lineup included Isaac Asuma and Fox in place of the two starters.

Mitchell checked out at the 17:34 mark and Patterson checked out with 15:12 left in the game. Neither player returned to the game and Minnesota rolled with the same five players throughout the rest of the game and they won 58-47.

Fox led all scorers with 18 points, which is a career-high performance. Garcia and Rigsby finished with 13 points each and Asuma ended with 10, marking the freshman's first career game in double-figures. Odukale led the team with 12 rebounds, despite only scoring two points and coughing up a game-high six turnovers.

The Gophers now have a much-needed six days of rest before hosting Central Michigan on Monday, Nov. 25. Then they head to Orlando, Fla. for two pivotal non-conference games in a tournament setting against Wichita State and then Wake Forest or Florida at the end of the week.