No. 13 Men’s Hoops Cruises Past Minnesota, 71-63 – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/9/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2000
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By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer%^$
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – When push came to shove, Ohio State was slightly%^$better at pushing and shoving.%^$
Michael Redd scored 25 points and Scoonie Penn added 20, including four free%^$throws in the final 21.4 seconds, as No. 13 Ohio State held off Minnesota 71-63%^$Sunday.%^$
“This game was not for the weak,” Buckeyes coach Jim O’Brien said.%^$
Every shot was contested and on most trips down the court, at least one%^$player ended up on the floor.%^$
“It was physical. No doubt it was physical,” O’Brien said, shaking his%^$head. “They let guys play around the basket. That’s why you tell players all%^$the time that they have to adjust to how the game’s being called. If they’re%^$calling hand checks, you have to be careful. And if they’re not calling fouls,%^$you have to be as aggressive as the other team.”%^$
The Buckeyes (9-3, 1-1 Big Ten), last in the conference in free-throw%^$shooting last season, made 10 of 12 free throws in the final 5 1/2 minutes and%^$outscored the Golden Gophers 14-5 at the line.%^$
Penn celebrated his 23rd birthday by hitting all six of his free throws. In%^$the Buckeyes’ previous game, an 80-77 loss at Illinois on Thursday night, Penn%^$made 1 of 6 free throws.%^$
“I never have had a 1-for-6 game like I had Thursday,” he said. “I shot a%^$lot in practice. I wanted to have the opportunity to shoot foul shots when it%^$counted.”%^$
Minnesota (9-3, 1-1) pulled to 57-56 on Terrance Simmons’ fastbreak layup%^$with 4:24 left before Penn made two free throws and Ken Johnson was credited%^$with a field goal when Joel Przybilla was called for goaltending.%^$
Penn then made a 3-pointer at the 3:09 mark to push the lead to 64-56.%^$
But the Golden Gophers used a 5-0 run to draw to 66-63 on a free throw by%^$Przybilla with 40.8 seconds left.%^$
Ohio State ran time off the clock before Penn was fouled with 21.4 seconds%^$left and made both shots.%^$
After Mitch Ohnstad missed a 3-pointer for Minnesota, Penn rebounded, was%^$fouled and again hit both attempts.%^$
“We made a lot of mistakes against a veteran team like Ohio State,” said%^$Minnesota coach Dan Monson, who doesn’t have a senior on his roster. “They%^$made a lot of experienced plays down the stretch and we made a lot of%^$inexperienced plays.”%^$
George Reese added 14 points for the Buckeyes. Johnson, leading the Big Ten%^$in blocks with 5 a game, blocked seven including four in a four-minute span in%^$the second half.%^$
Przybilla had 14 rebounds and seven blocks to go with his 15 points. Ohnstad%^$had 12 points and Simmons 11.%^$
A year ago, Ohio State had beaten the Gophers 89-60 at Value City Arena.%^$
The Buckeyes’ biggest lead in the second half was 50-43 with just more than%^$nine minutes left, but Minnesota scored 11 of the next 17 points to get back in%^$the game.%^$
There were extremes for both teams in the opening half. Minnesota went on a%^$13-5 run to build a 24-16 lead while holding Ohio State to two field goals in%^$4 1/2 minutes.%^$
The Buckeyes then went on a 14-0 run – the Gophers missing their first two%^$field-goal attempts and turning the ball over on seven consecutive possessions%^$without getting off a shot.%^$
Shane Schilling’s 3-pointer and a twisting, spinning layup by Simmons with%^$three seconds left gave Minnesota a 33-32 lead at the break despite 10%^$turnovers and 42 percent shooting. The Gophers came in leading the Big Ten in%^$shooting at 50 percent.%^$
The Gophers finished with 20 turnovers (to Ohio State’s 11) and shot 40%^$percent from the field to the Buckeyes’ 39 percent.%^$
“It was a very difficult game to play, a very competitive game,” O’Brien%^$said. “What I said to them is that this is the kind of game we’re going to see%^$night after night. There are no nights off in the Big Ten.”%^$
