A return to Williams Arena after two road games was exactly what the Gophers men’s basketball team needed to re-energize themselves. Without senior Payton Willis, Minnesota needed a spark. Enter Luke Loewe.
Loewe was automatic from deep as he scored a career-high 24 points as a Gopher on six three-pointers. His biggest shot of the day came off a step-back three that stopped a Northwestern run and forced a timeout, electrifying the crowd.
“Luke’s a competitor, and he’s that guy that’ll do whatever it takes. Today it took him being really good offensively and making shots,” head coach Ben Johnson said. “I knew he’d play well… I think it’s a testament because he works so hard.
In its two previous games, the Gophers scored just 25 points and 19 points in the first half against Ohio State and Penn State. Loewe and sophomore Jamison Battle made sure that wasn’t an issue.
“I think the start was everything. Coach [Johnson] always says it: ‘if it starts well, it ends well’ and I think we kinda lived by that today,” Battle said.
The duo was very efficient in scoring as they combined to go 17-26 for 45 points to lead Minnesota to a 77-60 win.
Battle was on triple-double watch midway through the first, but came up short on second-half assists. He recorded his third double-double as a Gopher with 21 points and 14 rebounds to go along with five assists.
The Gophers as a unit were moving the ball well to set up open shots. Minnesota made 29 field goals, and 22 of them were off an assist. Loewe led the team with seven assists, while senior Eylijah Stephens had four and senior Sean Sutherlin had five.
Stephens had an important role in the double-digit win outside of his four assists. He grabbed eight rebounds and hit three three-pointers to score 15 points.
It was the Wildcats who got out to the hot start and hit back-to-back threes to open the game. The Gopher zone defense quickly quieted the Northwestern offense. Over the next 11 minutes, the Gophers went on a 28-7 run fueled by an energetic offensive surge.
Ball movement and cutting without the ball led to numerous wide-open threes, which Minnesota didn’t let go to waste. Loewe and Stephens each hit three deep balls as the unit shot 53.3% in the first half. It was almost inevitable that Minnesota would slow down in the second, but they still shot 47.8% from deep in the game.
After playing four games in a seven-day span, Minnesota finally has a break from traveling. The Gophers stay in Minnesota for their next game when they host the Badgers Wednesday in the final border battle of the regular season.
That game will mean a little more to Loewe, who is originally from Wisconsin. Loewe had a lot of friends and family come out to support him in the first meeting in Wisconsin. Wednesday should be very similar.
“I’m sure a lot of people will be coming here to support, but yeah, I’m looking forward to that one, again. Get another crack at them, I’m excited,” Loewe said.
