They ranked last among Big Ten teams in scoring offense (64.5) through four games, but they allowed the Big Ten’s second-fewest points per game (57.8).
Brennan Rigsby scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half Tuesday for the Gophers, who held the Vikings to 26% shooting in the second half, including 2-for-13 from three.
Minnesota’s starters are Garcia, Rigsby, Femi Odukale, Lu’Cye Patterson and Frank Mitchell, but Johnson went with Fox instead of Mitchell and freshman Isaac Asuma instead of Patterson for the last 15:12 of the game.
The game plan was risky without a veteran like Patterson at guard, but Asuma finished with a season-high 10 points and zero turnovers in 30 minutes.
What the Gophers lacked in scoring punch they made up for with defense. Odukale had the most unusual stat line with two points, six turnovers, 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
“I feel like we kind of got it rolling a little,” Rigsby said. “I think the big thing is we were getting a lot of stops and our matchups were better.”
