Minnesota wasted little time setting the tone in Year Two of the Niko Medved era.
The Gophers opened the season Monday night with an 85-50 win over North Dakota in front of 7,222 at The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, rolling to a 35-point victory behind balanced scoring, sharp perimeter shooting and a barrage of dunks.
Five Minnesota players finished in double figures, led by Bobby Durkin’s 16 points. He knocked down 4 of 5 from 3-point range and caught fire late in the first half, while Jaylen Crocker-Johnson added 15. Isaac Asuma and Malick Kordel each scored 13, and Grayson Grove finished with 11.
Asuma filled up the box score beyond the scoring column, adding 6 rebounds, 6 assists and a career-high 3 blocked shots. Kyan Evans matched him with 6 rebounds, while Grove and Kai Shinholster each handed out 6 assists.
The Gophers put together six dunks in all, four from Kordel, the 7-foot-2 Michigan transfer, and hit 10 3-pointers while building a lead that reached 38 points. Minnesota shot 34 of 62 from the field, 10 of 25 from deep and 7 of 13 at the line. Eleven Gophers saw the floor.
North Dakota never found much rhythm against Minnesota’s pressure and length. The Hawks shot 17 of 59 overall and just 3 of 28 from 3-point range, with Jayden Moore leading the way with 13 points in his collegiate debut.
Andrija Radojevic added 10. Minnesota also won the rebounding battle, 43-36.
The early stretch belonged to the Gophers. Grove and Shinholster each hit 3-pointers as Minnesota jumped ahead 9-3, and the lead grew to 15-5 at the second media timeout after layups from Kordel, Groves and Shinholster. North Dakota briefly trimmed the margin with a 4-0 run, but Minnesota answered and pushed the lead to 22-10 while the Hawks were stuck at 3 of 18 from the field and 1 of 10 from long range.
Durkin then took over. His first 3-pointer of the season made it 25-10, and after a Kordel free throw, he buried three more triples in just over a minute and a half to stretch the margin to 35-13 with 4:09 left in the half.
North Dakota closed the opening 20 minutes with a little life. Radojevic scored on two three-point plays and Moore added back-to-back layups during a 12-6 run, pulling the Hawks within 41-25 at halftime.
Durkin had 12 points by the break, one of five Gophers with 3 rebounds. Crocker-Johnson had 7 points, and Asuma posted 6 points, 4 assists and two blocks.
Minnesota shot 15 of 31 in the first half, including 7 of 16 from 3-point range, and finished the half with 13 assists on 15 made baskets. Radojevic and Moore each had 8 points for UND, which shot 8 of 32 overall and 1 of 15 from deep but made 8 of 11 free throws and held a 23-21 edge on the glass before halftime.
The second half turned into a run of emphatic finishes. Evans and Crocker-Johnson opened with 3-pointers to start a 12-0 burst, and Kordel punctuated the surge with back-to-back dunks as Minnesota went up 53-27 at the first media timeout of the half. Kordel then added two more dunks around an Asuma layup during an 18-0 run that made it 59-27 with 14:40 left.
Crocker-Johnson’s third 3-pointer, which was Minnesota’s 10th of the night, pushed the lead to 34. North Dakota answered with a 5-0 run to cut it to 62-33, but Grove ended that spurt with a dunk. The Hawks narrowed the margin to 25 before Minnesota stretched it back out and settled on the 35-point final.
Minnesota returns to The Barn on Friday against another Summit League opponent, hosting St. Thomas at 7:00 p.m. on Peacock/NSBSN.
Notes: Minnesota improved to 21-2 with 15-straight wins vs. UND ...
Minnesota is 14-4 at The Barn under Medved, and has won 14-straight at home against non-conference teams ... Minnesota is 99-6 (.943) all-time vs.
Summit League teams ... the 3 blocked shots for Isaac Asuma was a career-high after he had 2 blocked shots five times … Kai Shinholster's 6 assists is a new career best, and he added 7 points and 4 rebounds … the 35-point win in a season-opener was the largest for Minnesota since also defeating Cleveland State 85-50 on Nov. 5, 2019.
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Gophers Opened With A Rout Despite One Early Concern
Minnesotas season opener looked every bit like the kind of clean start a coach wants on the scoreboard, with the Gophers rolling past North Dakota 85-50 behind a balanced offensive effort. Bobby Durkin set the tone with 16 points and four 3-pointers, while Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Isaac Asuma and Malick Kordel all joined him in double figures, giving the Gophers plenty of early signs that the scoring load can be spread around.
Still, the opener came with an undercurrent worth watching. Minnesota took the floor without three players, and the reasons behind those absences leave a few roster questions hanging as the season gets underway. The win was convincing enough to quiet any immediate concerns on the court, but the availability picture is something the Gophers will have to sort through quickly if they want this kind of depth to hold up. [Read more 🡒]
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The more encouraging part for Minnesota may have been how little room it gave North Dakota to breathe. The Gophers were disruptive on that end all night, forcing tough looks and keeping the visitors out of rhythm from deep, the kind of defensive start that can travel once the schedule gets tougher. If this opener is any indication, Minnesota may have more early-season substance than the outside expectations suggested. [Read more 🡒]
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Now the focus shifts to a different kind of test with No. 5 UCLA coming to town, and the stakes are obvious for Minnesota as it tries to turn a painful finish into a reset. The Bruins sit atop the Big Ten under first-year coach Bob Chesney, and while they have had to adjust at quarterback, the Gophers are more concerned with finding a cleaner offensive showing to match the level they have been getting elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]