The Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s basketball team continued their winning ways Thursday night, handling the Ball State Cardinals with ease in an 80-63 victory, according to details released by CBS News Minnesota. The game marked their tenth consecutive home matchup and improved the Gophers' record to 9-3, while Ball State dipped to 8-4.
Guard Mike Mitchell Jr. was the standout performer, draining 8 of 11 shots to deliver 20 points to lead the charge. Others contributed significantly too; Pharrel Payne racked up 13 points, alongside a balanced supporting cast with Elijah Hawkins and Joshua Ola-Joseph chipping in with 12 points each, while Cam Christie added 11. Still, it was Mitchell's hot start, including a pair of early 3-pointers that set the tone, as Minnesota quickly jumped to a 15-5 lead, as detailed by The State Journal.
The Cardinals had a glimmer of hope when guard Jalin Anderson, who tallied a game-high 26 points, helped trim the deficit to 55-48 in the second half. Basheer Jihad also fought valiantly, contributing 17 points. However, the Gophers quickly snuffed out any chance of a Ball State comeback with a determined surge that saw their lead swell to a comfortable margin that eventually saw out the game.
The historical angle added a dash of context to the encounter as only the third meeting between these two programs, with each team now holding a win apiece from their games in the late '80s. Moving forward, Ball State turns their attention to their Mid-Atlantic Conference play starting with a challenging road game against Kent State on Jan. 2. Minnesota, meanwhile, looks to continue their home stand success when they welcome Maine on Dec. 29, as CBS News Minnesota reports.
