Field Level Media
Dec 21, 2019
Gabe Kalscheur scored 24 of his career-high 34 points in the first half as Minnesota stayed hot with a 86-66 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday in the BOK Center Basketball Showdown in Tulsa, Okla.
The sophomore guard, who had gone 1 for 15 from 3-point range in his previous two games, made 7 of 9 triples and was 11 of 14 overall.
The Golden Gophers (6-5) picked up right where they left off in their last game, a 13-point home upset of then-No. 1 Ohio State on Dec. 15. They shot 58.2 percent in winning their first game away from Minneapolis since last year's NCAA tournament.
Sophomore center Daniel Oturu had 22 points, his fifth 20-point effort of the season, hitting 10 of 12 shots, while sophomore guard Marcus Carr had nine points, seven rebounds and eight assists to offset a 2-for-12 shooting night.
While defense let Oklahoma State (8-3) down all game, its offense failed to show up after halftime. The Cowboys shot 48 percent in the first half but started the second half by missing seven of their first eight shots and 15 of 20. Minnesota extended its lead from 46-31 to 71-44 during that span before Oklahoma State hit eight straight shots during garbage time to get within 80-66 with 2:40 left.
The game was tied at 24 with 8:54 left in the first half, but Minnesota outscored the Cowboys 22-7 over the final seven minutes to lead by 15 at the break.
Oklahoma State dropped to 1-3 without sophomore guard (and leading scorer) Isaac Likekele, who has missed the last four games due to illness. Senior guard Lindy Waters led the Cowboys with 17 points but did not score in the second half.
Minnesota improved to 1-1 against Oklahoma schools in neutral-site games. The Gophers lost 71-62 to Oklahoma on Nov. 9 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
--Field Level Media