For the Minnesota men’s basketball team, Aloha does indeed mean goodbye.
The Gophers lost their first game of the season 76-60 to the Georgetown Hoyas in the championship game of the Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving classic in Honolulu on Monday.
Freshman Mike Bauer led the team with 17 points off the bench. John-Blair Bickerstaff and Terrance Simmons each chipped in 11 while Dusty Rychart had six to go with 11 boards.
Georgetown’s Kevin Braswell had 18 points to lead all scorers and was later named the tournament MVP.
Minnesota was down 19 points by halftime after shooting a dismal .185 from the field in the first half.
Both Rychart and Simmons were named to the all-tournament team.
The Gophers next see action when they travel to Tallahassee to face Florida State on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on WCCO and televised on MSC.
Women’s hockey
Two Minnesota women’s hockey players were honored after the Gophers took three of four points from Wisconsin in Madison last weekend.
Senior right wing Nadine Muzerall was named the WCHA player of the week after her four-goal effort against the Badgers.
Muzerall had a hat trick in the Gophers 5-2 win on Friday, then scored the game-tying goal Saturday. The last goal was good for Muzerall’s 119th career goal and 200th career point.
Freshman defender Bethany Petersen was named the WCHA rookie of the week. She tied a school record with a playmaker in the third period of Friday’s win. Her eight assists are good for third on the team and lead the Minnesota defense.
Football
Minnesota sophomore Preston Gruening is a finalist for the Ray Guy award, given to the best punter in the nation.
Wisconsin senior Kevin Stemke and California senior Nick Harris are the other two finalists for the award.
Gruening has led the nation in punting average since the first week of the season and currently boasts a 45.2-yard average.