Gophers Fall Short in Overtime Thriller Against USC
In a heart-stopping finish, the Minnesota Golden Gophers came up just short against the Southern California Trojans at Williams Arena on Friday night. Down by 13 points early in the second half, the Gophers managed to chip away and ultimately forced overtime, but ultimately fell 70-69.
Coach Niko Medved was clearly frustrated with his team's performance, slamming his clipboard onto the court during a timeout huddle as he tried to get his players' attention. Despite his efforts, however, Minnesota couldn't quite muster up enough plays to take down USC in regulation. The Trojans capitalized on the Gophers' lackadaisical play, going on a 6-0 spurt that extended their lead to 41-30.
Trailing by 13 points with just over a minute left in regulation, Minnesota staged a late comeback, taking the lead at 63-62 on two free throws from Cade Tyson. However, Gabe Dynes responded with one of his own, tying the game at 63-63 with 28 seconds remaining.
In the end, it was Jaylen Crocker-Johnson who gave Minnesota the lead in overtime, hitting a three-pointer with 27 seconds left to put the Gophers up by one. However, USC star Chad Baker-Mazara had other plans, making two crucial free throws to retake the lead at 70-69.
The home crowd was outraged by the final call, and it's clear that it was a turning point in the game. "Just couldn't make it happen," said Tyson, who had 20 points on the night despite struggling with his shot. Medved echoed those sentiments, saying that Minnesota just needed one more play to seal the win.
The Gophers' inability to capitalize on transition opportunities also cost them dearly. "I thought we had an opportunity to hurt them a little bit more in transition than we did," Medved said. "Probably not as good as we needed."
Despite the tough loss, Minnesota remains undefeated at home this season and snapped a five-game winning streak. They'll look to bounce back from this setback in their next game.
The Trojans, meanwhile, got a strong performance from Baker-Mazara, who scored 29 points on Friday but was held scoreless over the final eight minutes of regulation and four minutes of overtime until those crucial free throws.
In a heart-stopping finish, the Minnesota Golden Gophers came up just short against the Southern California Trojans at Williams Arena on Friday night. Down by 13 points early in the second half, the Gophers managed to chip away and ultimately forced overtime, but ultimately fell 70-69.
Coach Niko Medved was clearly frustrated with his team's performance, slamming his clipboard onto the court during a timeout huddle as he tried to get his players' attention. Despite his efforts, however, Minnesota couldn't quite muster up enough plays to take down USC in regulation. The Trojans capitalized on the Gophers' lackadaisical play, going on a 6-0 spurt that extended their lead to 41-30.
Trailing by 13 points with just over a minute left in regulation, Minnesota staged a late comeback, taking the lead at 63-62 on two free throws from Cade Tyson. However, Gabe Dynes responded with one of his own, tying the game at 63-63 with 28 seconds remaining.
In the end, it was Jaylen Crocker-Johnson who gave Minnesota the lead in overtime, hitting a three-pointer with 27 seconds left to put the Gophers up by one. However, USC star Chad Baker-Mazara had other plans, making two crucial free throws to retake the lead at 70-69.
The home crowd was outraged by the final call, and it's clear that it was a turning point in the game. "Just couldn't make it happen," said Tyson, who had 20 points on the night despite struggling with his shot. Medved echoed those sentiments, saying that Minnesota just needed one more play to seal the win.
The Gophers' inability to capitalize on transition opportunities also cost them dearly. "I thought we had an opportunity to hurt them a little bit more in transition than we did," Medved said. "Probably not as good as we needed."
Despite the tough loss, Minnesota remains undefeated at home this season and snapped a five-game winning streak. They'll look to bounce back from this setback in their next game.
The Trojans, meanwhile, got a strong performance from Baker-Mazara, who scored 29 points on Friday but was held scoreless over the final eight minutes of regulation and four minutes of overtime until those crucial free throws.
i'm literally crying just thinking about that last second 
Chad Baker-Mazara is a straight up hero for making those clutch free throws lol i feel bad for Minnesota tho, they had such a great game and it all came down to one call 
coach Medved is so extra with his clipboard slam 
i'm just gonna replay that over and over again 
OMG u guys!!!!!! i cant even believe wut happened last nite!!! minnies gophers were SO close to winnin that game!!! 
Chad Baker-Mazara tho... 
he's like the ultimate trash talker lol, makin' those clutch free throws w/ less than a minute left! 
jaylen crocker-johnson, u guyz r my heart 
, i love how ur team fought till the end!!! 
but mann... that final call tho!!!!!! 
anywayz, can't wait 2 c wut minnies do next!!! 
. I mean, I get it, they didn't win, but come on! Give 'em some credit for making it that far against a tough opponent like USC. And what's with the coach slamming his clipboard on the court? Like, chill out, dude 
. It's just a game. And don't even get me started on the home crowd being outraged over the final call. Can't they just take the loss like a sport? 
gotta give them credit for coming out on top in overtime
. still sucks they couldn't hold on for more than 30 seconds 
The comeback in the 4th quarter was insane, but that last play is gonna haunt Medved for a while 
, but I guess it's one of those things that you gotta accept. What's crazy is how much heart Minnesota showed tonight 
. They fought till the very end and gave it everything they had 
. It's not a total loss though - they still hold their home record this season 
, so we can't count them out just yet 
the gophers did have some great plays, especially that three-pointer by jaylen crocker-johnson to take the lead in overtime. but at the same time, usc's defense was pretty solid, especially when baker-mazara was still hot from beyond the arc. i just wish the game had a better recap system, like video evidence or something 
it would make it way easier for me to understand what actually went down.
. coach medved got SO frustrated lol