Gophers Gouge Buckeyes

After starting 9-0, we have now lost 2 of 3… Were we that good? Were we really just overachieving? Michigan State (Tuesday night) will answer those questions…

This is the way coach Tubby Smith wanted Minnesota to rebound. Three days after a humbling defeat to 10th-ranked Michigan State, the Gophers got another chance against a Top 25 team. They went after the ball with gusto, got their shots to fall, and sent an outhustled Ohio State home furious.

Lawrence Westbrook led a typically balanced offense with 15 points, and No. 21 Minnesota salvaged a split in the opening week of Big Ten play by beating the 24th-ranked Buckeyes 68-59 on Saturday.

The Gophers (13-1, 1-1) went 8-for-20 from 3-point range; Westbrook was 3-for-5. The lack of pressure on the shooters, plus the occasional lapse that left a would-be dunker wide open on a backdoor cut, had the Buckeyes (10-2, 1-1) steamed.

Dearly missing junior guard David Lighty, his contagious energy and his 10 points per game, Ohio State made a late charge but trailed by seven or more for the last 16 minutes. Guard Jon Diebler had 15 points and five steals for Ohio State, but the Gophers held a 42-30 rebounding advantage after getting destroyed on the boards against the Spartans. Damian Johnson had 12 points and six rebounds for Minnesota.