Friday started as a day of disappointment for the Gophers.
Minnesota lost five-star 2014 recruit Reid Travis when he committed to Stanford, and the team announced Mo Walker’s six-game suspension.
But when the Gophers took the floor for head coach Richard Pitino’s official debut, all of that seemed to fade away.
Minnesota used a tenacious defensive attack and an inspired effort on the glass from Elliott Eliason en route to an 81-62 season-opening win over Lehigh.
With Walker out, Eliason decided to rebound for two. He finished with 11 points and 17 boards. It was the first double-double of his career.
“You just come in there and do what you can, and things sometimes go your way,” Eliason said Friday. “I was able to get a lot of rebounds and get some points on the board.”
Minnesota’s defense stymied the Mountain Hawks — particularly in the first half.
The Gophers held Lehigh to 18 points on 23 percent shooting through the first 20 minutes. Minnesota accrued 11 steals during the night.
“I thought our defense in the first half was phenomenal,” Pitino said. “We did a good job of taking them out of what they wanted to do.”
Eliason had plenty of help in the scoring department. Sophomore transfer Joey King had 20 points to lead the team, while junior guard Andre Hollins followed closely with 18 points on 5-for-13 shooting.
Pitino said Hollins did a great job getting to the rim and drawing fouls. He attempted and made seven free throws on the night.
Hollins and the entire offense benefited from junior guard DeAndre Mathieu’s playmaking ability. Mathieu drove and kicked to teammates throughout the night and finished with nine assists to go along with two points.
“[My teammates] make it easy when they’re scoring,” he said. “It’s a fun game when you’re passing. I didn’t really have to score much because everybody else really gets theirs.”
The Gophers won the rebounding battle 38-35, but rebounding continues to be a point of emphasis.
“We’re small right now, so we’ve got to continue to combat that,” Pitino said.
The win was Pitino’s first official victory as Gophers head coach after taking the job in April.
“I told the guys this is a long, long journey,” Pitino said. “One game down and many, many more to go.”
Walker suspended
The Gophers wouldn’t give any specific reason for Walker’s suspension, saying only that he “violated University policy.”
There seemed to be plenty of support for him on the team.
“We love the kid, and we want him back,” Eliason said. “I know he’s making himself better.”
Walker’s six-game suspension should expire in time for him to return to the lineup for the Gophers’ second game of the Maui Invitational in late November — one game after Minnesota’s battle with Syracuse on Nov. 25.
“We support Mo. We love Mo,” Pitino said. “We can’t wait to get him back in Maui. He’s going to be a big help to our basketball team.”
