Whatever hope the Minnesota Golden Gophers had of making the 2012 NCAA Tournament likely met its death knell on Sunday afternoon, as the team fell to the Indiana Hoosiers, 69-50. The Gophers have now lost five straight games and four consecutive home games, last winning at Williams Arena on Jan. 28 (a 77-72 overtime victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini).
Austin Hollins led the Gophers with 14 points, but he scored just three points during the second half. Andre Hollins and Eliott Eliason finished tied for second on the team in points with six each. Ralph Sampson III needed eight points to reach 1,000 in his career, but he went 1-for-11 from the field and finished with four points.
Indiana continued to distribute the scoring across the board by having three guys finish with 12 points each: Jordan Hulls, Victor Oladipo and Christian Watford. Oladipo led the team with eight rebounds. Verdell Jones III added 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Gophers (17-12, 5-11 Big Ten) visits Madison on Tuesday to play the No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers.
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