The Gophers men’s basketball team won their first exhibition game of the season 90-65 against Division II Bemidji State University (BSU) on Saturday.
The Gophers started to click in the second half, cutting down on turnovers while also being more in tune with their each other on both sides of the ball. They ended the game on seven straight makes.
The team entered the second half only up one point against BSU since the first half featured several defensive breakdowns until about three minutes left.
Once the second half began, the defensive intensity stepped up, and the Gophers held a nine-point lead with a little over 15 minutes remaining.
The star of the second half was senior Brennan Rigsby, who finished the game with 17 points, four rebounds and two assists.
“I feel like we kind of got into a rhythm, mainly on the defensive side,” Rigsby said. “We started stringing stops and that just got momentum to start running in transition.”
Not only was Rigsby performing well, but he brought some flair to the team from tip-off. That flair rubbed off on senior Mike Mitchell Jr. who threw a no-look pass to redshirt sophomore Kadyn Betts for an early slam dunk.
Despite being an exhibition game, the Gophers front-court players were diving on the floor for loose balls.
Senior Parker Fox picked up where he left off last year and showed his hustle by diving for loose balls, running the court and batting rebounds away from defenders. He finished the game with 14 points and three rebounds, shooting 100% from the field.
Junior Frank Mitchell and senior Trey Edmonds were active in the passing lanes. Each tallied a steal at the top of the key and pushed down the court. Mitchell managed to dunk the ball off his steal.
For head coach Ben Johnson, the game was more about figuring out rotations and getting some film against another team.
“I wanted to get guys minutes as much as possible,” Johnson said. “I thought, for the most part, we’re going to have a lot of stuff on tape that’s good to see and we can get better from.”
Johnson’s starting five included seniors Mitchell Jr., Rigsby, Dawson Garcia, Betts and Mitchell.
Mitchell Jr. was thankful the Gophers matched up against another team for the first time since March.
Seniors Lu’Cye Patterson, Femi Odukale and Tyler Cochran were all out with injuries, according to Johnson. He added Patterson and Odukale will likely be available for the season opener on Nov. 6.
Since it was an exhibition game, the starting lineup and rotations could change drastically by the team’s season opener against Oral Roberts University.
Earlier in the summer, Mitchell Jr. said both he and Patterson would be taking on the point guard role. Mitchell Jr. finished Saturday’s game against BSU with 19 points and eight assists.
Without Patterson, Mitchell Jr. remained in control of the ball until freshman Isaac Asuma subbed in.
At the Gophers internal media day on Oct. 18, Garcia said having Edmonds and Mitchell makes his job as a big man in the paint easier.
“Frank and Trey are both monsters on the glass offensively and defensively,” Garcia said. “They do a good job of protecting the paint.”
Mitchell Jr. said the team needed the first 20 minutes to get the jitters out.
The Gophers have another exhibition against Hamline on Oct. 29 before the season opener on Nov. 6 against Oral Roberts University.
