Minnesota
Quick Hits: Steven Crowl, Wisconsin Use Big Second Half to Beat Minnesota
MADISON, Wis. – Steven Crowl got run into by Minnesota forward Frank Mitchell with a head of steam. No foul was called, much to the frustration of the Wisconsin bench. When the Badgers coaching staff and reserves saw next, it elicited a different reaction.
Crowl drove to the open lane with Mitchell out of position and the bench erupted with fist pumps after he finished with his right hand, again through contact from Mitchell for a three-point play. It added to the momentum of a big second half that turned a close game into an 80-59 Wisconsin rout over the Gophers at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin (13-3, 4-2 Big Ten) ran its winning streak to five games and as the Badgers and Crowl continued mastery over the Gophers. UW has won eight straight against its border rivals and Crowl – following his team-high 18 points – is averaging 15.7 points on 66.1 percent shooting in six career starts against his home-state team.
John Tonje added 11 of his 16 points in the second half, as the Badgers shot 57.7 percent in the second half to outscore Minnesota, 50-30.
Wisconsin went 11-for-28 from three, three of which came on a 13-2 run early in the second half that pushed the lead to double digits. Nolan Winter (eight points), John Blackwell (nine), and Crowl all hit from the perimeter over a 2-minute, 40-second run, hitting as many threes as UW hit the entire first half.
Dawson Garcia was the only player in double figures for Minnesota (8-8, 0-5), finishing with a game-high 22.
The Badgers struggled out of the game with Kamari McGee (15 points) replacing Max Klesmit (right ankle) in the starting lineup. UW started 2-for-10 and got only marginally better throughout the half. McGee, Tonje, and Blackwell combined to shoot 4-for-18 from the floor, as UW shot only 32.3 percent (10-for-31).
Down as many as 10 in the opening minutes, UW chipped away at the deficit to lead at the break with its defense. The Badgers turned eight turnovers into nine points and 3-for-10 on shots around the rim.
Minnesota took the lead on a pair of Garcia free throws early in the second half, but UW outscored them, 40-12, over the next 12 minutes, and 40 seconds.
What it means: The first half looked like what Wisconsin-Minnesota games have been the last few seasons, as the last five games have been decided by a total of 16 points. The second half looked like the Wisconsin offense we’re getting used to seeing.
Star of the game: Crowl was the only steady offensive weapon through both halves for Wisconsin. The graduate center had nine points on 3-for-4 shooting in the first half and nine points on 3-for-3 shooting in the second half.
Stat of the game: Wisconsin went 19-for-24 from the line while Minnesota was only 8-for-13.
Reason to be Concerned: Klesmit went through warmups but missed his first game in two years, not a surprise after hearing head coach Greg Gard talking about the injury Wednesday. How long Klesmit will be out, especially with some tougher competition coming up on the schedule, is a storyline.
Don’t overlook: Wisconsin has touted its depth since the beginning of the season but stuck with its same starting five and eight-to-nine-man rotation. Without Klesmit, McGee had 15 points, five rebounds, three steals, two assists, and is 3-for-4 on 3-point attempts in his first collegiate start.
What’s next: Wisconsin stays at home for its opening against Ohio State on Tuesday night. The Buckeyes (10-6, 2-3) registered two of the Big Ten’s best out-of-conference wins in knocking off No.19 Texas and No.4 Kentucky on neutral sites but have struggled in conference play, having lost two of three with the one win coming in double overtime at Minnesota. Led by Bruce Thornton’s 17.1 points, Ohio State has four players averaging in double figures and seven players scoring at least 7.0 per game.
UW has won four of the last five meetings in the series. The tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will be televised on Peacock.
Minnesota
Nuggets-Timberwolves takeaways: Jaden McDaniels backs up his talk, as Minnesota dominates Game 3 with defense
This wasn’t close. With the Denver Nuggets missing Aaron Gordon with a calf injury, the Minnesota Timberwolves jumped out to a 25-11 first-quarter lead in Game 3 and never looked back. The Wolves came away with a 113-96 victory and a 2-1 series lead behind a team effort and a dominating defensive performance that included holding Nikola Jokić to 27 points on 7-for-26 shooting.
Let’s get to some takeaways.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves defended
The Nuggets led the NBA this season in points per game (122.1 PPG). The Nuggets led the NBA this season in offensive rating (121.2). The Nuggets scored 96 points in Game 3.
Minnesota pressured and sped up the Nuggets right from the jump. By the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets were 3 for 21 from the field (1 of 9 from 3). Active ball pressure bogged the Nuggets’ attack down, physicality disrupted their off-ball movement. The Wolves flew around all night long to keep the Nuggets in a box. Denver had only 12 assists as a team in Game 3. For comparison, Jokić averaged 10.7 a night in the regular season.
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Rudy Gobert protected the paint and contested versus Jokić. Jaden McDaniels and Donte DiVincenzo hounded Jamal Murray. Denver’s dynamic duo combined to shoot 12-for-43, a credit to the Wolves’ game plan and execution.
Ayo, look at this team effort
If you wondered what the ceiling was for Minnesota after it added Ayo Dosunmu at the trade deadline, it was on display in Game 3. His ability to defend and attack in transition always jumped off the page, but on Thursday night we saw a command within what Minnesota wanted to do. His drives were consistent, his paint touches were important and his ability to punish Denver’s defense was key. He and DiVincenzo allowed the Wolves to find a flow in the second quarter.
Think about this: Anthony Edwards played only 23 minutes, with eight of those coming in the second half, and I did not feel that until typing this very sentence. That was the impact of the team effort from Minnesota.
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McDaniels set the tone with his Game 2 postgame comments. It’s one thing to talk the talk, it’s another thing to walk the walk, and he ended up strutting like Oba Femi in this one. The ball pressure and screen navigation against Murray were one thing, but the cuts, drives and dunks were another.
It would be hyperbole to call this Gobert’s most impactful game, but it was a reminder of his impact for Minnesota. There was a confidence from Gobert (see: left-hand hook), a command as far as keeping the flow going, and a trust from his teammates to make the right play.
Where does Denver go from here?
Losing Gordon was a big blow, but the contrast between the group we saw in Game 1 and Game 3 was startling. Jokić/Murray shooting aside, this was one of the rare occasions we didn’t feel the force of Denver’s offense. All of its off-ball actions, cuts and movement were disrupted.
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Ball movement became a stagnant adventure. Transition attacks did not feel as dangerous. Pressure points were not hit. The defense that looked great in Game 1 and slipped in Game 2 disappeared Thursday night.
The Nuggets have to get back to (at the very least) their identity to deal with this Wolves team. The offense has to keep the pressure on, getting the ball where the Nuggets want, and playing with their tempo. And the defense cannot be what we’ve seen the last two games. The formula is there, but the effort has to match. Never forget that Wolves can detect their prey.
Minnesota
Minnesota woman detained by ICE needs emergency surgery for tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst, lawmakers say
Minnesota lawmakers are calling for the humanitarian release of a woman detained earlier this year, amid Operation Metro Surge, who is suffering from a tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst.
Federal immigration agents arrested 23-year-old Andrea Pedro-Francisco in Burnsville on Feb. 5, just days before she says she was scheduled to have surgery.
Pedro-Francisco moved to Minnesota seeking asylum with her mother back in 2019. Right now, she is being held in a detention center in El Paso, Texas.
State lawmakers — including practicing ER physician Sen. Alice Mann, D-Edina — held a news conference Thursday morning at the Capitol to push for Pedro-Francisco’s immediate release.
“An ovarian cyst this big can put weight on the ovary and cause the ovary to twist onto itself, cutting off the ovary’s blood supply. This is a medical emergency,” Mann said. “This can impact fertility, and we are talking about a 23-year-old. If not treated, this can lead to infection and even death.”
Also on hand Thursday was North Dakota-based pastor Ellery Dykeman, who said he met with Pedro-Francisco last week in the detention center. Dykeman said she looked thinner than he had seen her in pictures.
Dykeman said Pedro-Francisco told him she is forced to climb up to a third-level bunk despite immense pain extending from the right side of her abdomen to her back.
Earlier this month, Democratic Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig said her team is tracking 20 medical cases with improper care within ICE detention. A quarter of them have serious conditions, her office says.
WCCO has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Minnesota weather forecast. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Most of Minnesota will be under a marginal risk of severe weather on Thursday, with rain and rumbles expected.
Thursday weather forecast
Local perspective:
A line of storms is expected to develop in west-southwest Minnesota on Thursday and grow in coverage as well as intensity tracking east into the early evening.
Large hail and damaging winds are the prevalent threats, but an isolated tornado is also possible along the line.
Isolated showers are expected to form in the western part of Minnesota on Thursday morning.
Rain chances in the Twin Cities area increase in the afternoon, as a line pushes through with possible thunderstorms.
Stay Sky Aware with FOX 9 for the latest.
The Source: This story uses information from the FOX 9 weather forecast.
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