Gophers shoot past Louisville 86-76 in NCAA Tournament

KVRR Staff,
DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 21: Daniel Oturu #25 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates after drawing a foul by the Louisville Cardinals during their game in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

DES MOINES, Iowa (FOX 9) – Minnesota got hot three-point shooting and made free throws late to earn an 86-76 win over Louisville on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Freshman Gabe Kalscheur led all scorers with 24 points, including shooting 5-of-11 from three-point range. The Gophers shot 40 percent from the perimeter in the first half to take a 38-33 lead into the break.

Jordan Murphy and Amir Coffey added 18 points each. Murphy was sidelined for at least the last 10 minutes after dealing with back spasms. Minnesota shot 11-of-27 from the perimeter in the win. It’s just the third time this season they’ve made at least 10 three-pointers. They ranked last in the Big Ten in three-point shooting percentage at 32.4.

All 86 of Minnesota’s points came from its five starters. The Gophers are the first time since Norfolk State in 2012 to win a first round NCAA Tournament game with zero points from the bench.

The #10 Gophers (22-13) will face Big Ten foe #2 Michigan State Saturday after they beat #15 Bradley 76-65.

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