Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 25, 1990 TAG: 9003242415
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS LENGTH: Medium
Minnesota refused to be intimidated by the Orangemen's superior size, and the Golden Gophers shot the Southeast Regional's second-seeded basketball team out of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night with an 82-75 upset in the round of 16.
Minnesota shot 79.2 percent in the second half, hitting 19 of 24 shots.
"I've never had a team shoot like that," said Minnesota coach Clem Haskins, who had his team in the NCAA regional semifinals for the second straight year.
The Gophers burrowed through and around Syracuse's heralded inside players, and the Orangemen - who uncharacteristically made 80 percent of their free throws in two early-round NCAA wins at the Richmond Coliseum last weekend - watched their hopes bounce away at the free-throw line.
The sixth-ranked Orangemen made only eight of 20 free throws.
Meanwhile, Minnesota guards Kevin Lynch and Melvin Newbern combined for 28 second-half points.
Haskins needed that production from his backcourt duo, because Gophers scoring leader Willie Burton put in only 12 points - seven below his season average.
A zone defense helped keep Syracuse big men Derrick Coleman and LeRon Ellis away from the basket, and Minnesota (23-8) advanced to an NCAA regional final for the first time in its history.
Minnesota packed its zone into the paint. Once Syracuse realized it was in for a struggle, coach Jim Boeheim - whose teams play man-to-man about 90 percent of the time - began to switch defenses.
But offense was the primary problem for Syracuse (26-7). Other than forward Billy Owens' scoring and passing, the Orangemen were inconsistent and sloppy. Only their strength made this a game of 16 lead changes and seven ties.
"I thought Minnesota played extremely well," said Boeheim, whose previous visit to the Superdome ended in a last-second loss to Indiana in the 1987 NCAA championship game. "When we changed defenses, they seemed to have the right answers.
"I thought the free-throw line hurt us more than in some other games this season. And Minnesota shot really well in the second half."
Boeheim was referring to Lynch and Newbern, who took over the Gophers' load after 24-year-old Richard Coffey, a U.S. Army veteran from Aurora, N.C., kept Minnesota in the game with 10 points and nine rebounds in the first half.
In the second half, Lynch went 6-for-7 and Newbern was perfect on six shots for the 20th-ranked Gophers. Not only was Lynch burying Syracuse from long range, Newbern, a 6-foot-4 point guard, was knifing inside for easy baskets.
"The more we shot, the more confident we were," said Newbern.
The Gophers had no problem finding the basket despite the cavernous background in the sparsely populated Superdome. Syracuse, meanwhile, hit only 44 percent - a figure damaged by Tony Scott's 3-of-16 misfiring from long range.
The teams exchanged the lead six times in 2 1/2 minutes - five of those baskets were 3-pointers - when Minnesota got the edge it needed after Coleman lost his composure.
Minnesota was up 61-60 when Burton fouled Coleman down low. After an exchange of words, Coleman threw the ball at the Gophers' 7-foot Bob Martin, and referee Paul Housman of Roanoke - working his last NCAA Tournament before retiring - called a technical.
Coleman missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Burton made one of two, then Lynch broke free for a gimme on the ensuing possession and the Gophers led 64-60 with 8:56 left.
Syracuse trailed by a point at 70-69 with 5:25 to play on Ellis' basket down low, and again at 72-71 with 3:31 left when Ellis converted both ends of a bonus foul-line chance.
MINNESOTA (82)
Burton 4-8 3-6 12, Coffey 5-8 2-2 12, Shikenjanski 3-5 0-0 6, Lynch 7-10 2-3 18, Newbern 9-15 2-3 20, Green 0-1 0-0 0, Lewis 0-0 0-0 0, Bond 1-4 2-3 4, Martin 4-5 2-2 10. Totals 33-56 13-19 82. SYRACUSE (75)
Owens 8-16 0-2 18, Scott 3-14 2-2 10, Coleman 5-13 3-8 15, Edwards 3-6 0-0 7, Thompson 8-12 0-0 16, Johnson 1-2 0-2 2, Ellis 2-6 3-6 7. Totals 30-69 8-20 75.
Halftime-39-35, Syracuse. Three-point goals-Minnesota 3-6 (Lynch 2-2, Burton 1-2, Newbern 0-1, Bond 0-1), Syracuse 7-23 (Owens 2-3, Coleman 2-4, Scott 2-11, Edwards 1-4, Thompson 0-1). Fouled out-Owens. Rebounds-Minnesota 32 (Coffey 12), Syracuse 43 (Coleman 11). Assists-Minnesota 13 (Newbern 4), Syracuse 16 (Thompson 6). Total fouls-Minnesota 19, Syracuse 18. Technical-Coleman. A-NA. B5 B1 GOPHERS Gophers
by CNB