Gophers Advance to Big Ten Semifinals

The seventh-seeded University of Minnesota Golden Gopher men’s basketball team took down Purdue in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday night.

Purdue hopped out to an early lead, but it was short-lived as Minnesota came right back. Just five minutes into the game, the Gophers opened up a 6 point lead at 13-7. By the end of the first half, they were up 42-39.

The Gophers played a strong second half, much like the first. After five minutes of going back and forth with the Boilermakers, Minnesota extended their lead to 50-47. They led by as many as ten in the half before Purdue rallied for a comeback.

With just over four minutes remaining in regulation, the score was all tied up at 69-69. Minnesota pulled away with several made free throws. In the final seconds, the Boilermakers attempted a three-point shot to win the game, but they missed and the Gophers grabbed the rebound to seal the deal. Minnesota took down Purdue 75-73.

Jordan Murphy led the team with 27 points. Amir Coffey put up 21 in the game, Daniel Oturu tallied 13, and Gabe Kalscheur added 11.

With the win, the Gophers advance to the semifinals of the tournament. They will take on the third-seeded University of Michigan Wolverines on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.