Fresh off of a ranked win over No. 10 Michigan State University, the Gophers were sluggish against the University of Maryland, they lost 67-62.

Maryland currently sits with one of the worst records in the Big Ten. Prior to the game, they were on a four game losing streak and had only one conference win. Minnesota could not carry the energy from taking down the Spartans into this game, they didn’t play with the same intensity and the Terrapins took advantage.

Standout Performances

Sophomore Isaac Asuma led the Gophers in scoring with his 3-point shooting. The Gophers spent the game from beyond the arc because of Maryland’s defense. They only scored two points in the paint in the first half. Asuma led the team with 18 points.

Maryland’s Diggy Coit took over for the Terrapins, he scored 20 points in the second half alone and the 3-pointer that would seal the win.

Game Changer

With Minnesota’s lack of intensity, the job of Maryland’s already strong defense was made easier. They completely slowed down the Gophers ability to drive to the basket and they knew how to keep Minnesota limited.

Senior Langston Reynolds typically pushes his way to the basket to put points up, but Maryland restricted him. He had the ball at the 3-point line, Maryland defenders dared him to shoot. Instead of pushing defenders out of the way, Reynolds shot and airballed. The Gophers 3-point shooting was better than normal, but it’s hard to win a game by only that.

Going Forward

The Gophers do not have any easy stretch of games to close out their season. When they head to the West Coast, they will have to play with more aggression if they want to beat the University of Washington and Oregon.

Due to injuries, head coach Niko Medved is only working with seven players. Against Michigan St., the two bench players weren’t able to contribute to the scoring. The current roster means that there is no margin for error, starters like junior Jaylen Crocker-Johnson and senior Cade Tyson did not play with the same urgency as fans saw on Wednesday.

“We were just a little too casual to start the game,” Medved said.

Medved stressed the Gophers are going through the “dog days” of the basketball season and this game is proof of it. He said they will be taking the next two days off before their roadtrip, because it will likely be the last time in the season they are able to do so.

“Win or lose we just need two days off,” Medved said.

What’s Next

The Gophers will play Washington on Feb. 14 in Seattle.