University of Minnesota Athletics
Monday, November 2
8:00 PM
University of Minnesota
1-0,0-0Big Ten
85
vs
50
North Dakota
0-1,0-0Summit League
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 25 | 25 | 50 |
| Minnesota | 41 | 44 | 85 |
Photo by: Ceci De Young
11/2/2026 10:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Year two of the Niko Medved era kicked off Monday night, and Minnesota overpowered North Dakota, 85-50, before an entertained crowd of 7,222 at The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
Five Gophers players reached double-figures in the win. Bobby Durkin led the way by making 4 of 5 3-pointers for 16 points, with Jaylen Crocker-Johnson adding 15 points, Isaac Asuma and Malick Kordel each having 13, and Grayson Grove going for 11. Asuma added 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and a career-high 3 blocked shots. Kyan Evans tied Asuma for team-high honors with 6 rebounds, while Grove and Kai Shinholster each had 6 assists.
The Gophers finished with six dunks, four by Kordel, a 7-foot-2 Michigan transfer, and made 10 3-pointers during the 35-point victory. Minnesota's biggest lead was 38 points and 11 Gophers saw playing time. As a team, the Gophers made 34 of 62 (.548) field goals,including 10 of 25 (.400) 3-pointers, and 7 of 13 free throws.
UND was limited to 17 of 59 (.288) overall, including 3 of 28 (.107) from 3-point range, and Minnesota held a 43-36 rebounding edge. Jayden Moore led the Hawks with 13 points in his collegiate debut, while Andrija Radojevic had 10 points.
Minnesota jumped out to a 9-3 lead behind 3-pointers from Grove and Shinholster, and consecutive layups by Kordel, Groves, and Shinholster extended the lead to 15-5 at the second media timeout with 11:58 remaining until halftime.
The Fighting Hawks cut the lead to six points with a 4-0 run, but Minnesota pushed the lead to 22-10. At that point, the Gophers were 9 of 18 from the field, while UND was struggling at 3 of 18 overall and 1 of 10 from 3-point range.
Durkin's first 3-pointer of the season made it 25-10 and a Kordel free throw put the Gophers up by 16. Durkin didn't stop at one 3-pointer, as he made his next three attempts in just over a minute and a half to stretch the lead to 35-13 with 4:09 left before half.
A pair of three-point plays by Radojevic and back-to-back layups by Moore keyed a 12-6 UND run over the final four minutes, as the Hawks pulled within 41-25 at the break.
Durkin led Minnesota with 12 first-half points and was one of five Gophers players with 3 rebounds, Crocker-Johnson had 7 points, and Asuma had 6 points, 4 assists, and a pair of blocked shots. The Gophers were 15 of 31 (.484) from the field, including 7 of 16 (.438) from 3-point range behind Durkin's 4 of 5. Minnesota had 13 assists on its 15 field goals.
Radojevic and Moore led UND with eight points each in the first half. The Fighting Hawks fought shooting struggles in the opening 20 minutes by going 8 of 32 (.250) overal, and 1 of 15 (.067) from distance, but made 8 of 11 (.727) at the line and held a 23-21 rebounding edge.
Evans and Crocker-Johnson kicked off a 12-0 run with 3-pointers,and Kordel added back-to-back dunks for an exclamation point, extending the lead to 53-27 at the first media timeout of the half. Kordel added two more dunks around an Asuma layup for an 18-0 run and a 59-27 lead with 14:40 remaining.
Crocker-Johnson's third 3-pointer, the 10th for the Gophers, put Minnesota up by 34, but a 5-0 UND run cut the lead to 62-33. A dunk by Grove ended that run, but UND narrowed the lead to 25 before it ballooned back to the 38-point margin and settling on 35.
The Gophers play host to another member of the Summit League on Friday, as the Tommies of St. Thomas visit The Barn for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff on Peacock/NSBSN.
Notes: Minnesota improved to 21-2 with 15-straight wins vs. UND ... Minnesota is 14-4 at The Barn under Medved, and has won 14-straight at home against non-conference teams ... Minnesota is 98-6 all-time vs. Summit League teams ... the 3 blocked shots for Isaac Asuma was a career-high after he had 2 blocked shots five times … Kai Shinholster's 6 assists is a new career best, and he added 7 points and 4 rebounds … the 35-point win in a season-opener was the largest for Minnesota since also defeating Cleveland State 85-50 on Nov. 5, 2019.
Five Gophers players reached double-figures in the win. Bobby Durkin led the way by making 4 of 5 3-pointers for 16 points, with Jaylen Crocker-Johnson adding 15 points, Isaac Asuma and Malick Kordel each having 13, and Grayson Grove going for 11. Asuma added 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and a career-high 3 blocked shots. Kyan Evans tied Asuma for team-high honors with 6 rebounds, while Grove and Kai Shinholster each had 6 assists.
The Gophers finished with six dunks, four by Kordel, a 7-foot-2 Michigan transfer, and made 10 3-pointers during the 35-point victory. Minnesota's biggest lead was 38 points and 11 Gophers saw playing time. As a team, the Gophers made 34 of 62 (.548) field goals,including 10 of 25 (.400) 3-pointers, and 7 of 13 free throws.
UND was limited to 17 of 59 (.288) overall, including 3 of 28 (.107) from 3-point range, and Minnesota held a 43-36 rebounding edge. Jayden Moore led the Hawks with 13 points in his collegiate debut, while Andrija Radojevic had 10 points.
Minnesota jumped out to a 9-3 lead behind 3-pointers from Grove and Shinholster, and consecutive layups by Kordel, Groves, and Shinholster extended the lead to 15-5 at the second media timeout with 11:58 remaining until halftime.
The Fighting Hawks cut the lead to six points with a 4-0 run, but Minnesota pushed the lead to 22-10. At that point, the Gophers were 9 of 18 from the field, while UND was struggling at 3 of 18 overall and 1 of 10 from 3-point range.
Durkin's first 3-pointer of the season made it 25-10 and a Kordel free throw put the Gophers up by 16. Durkin didn't stop at one 3-pointer, as he made his next three attempts in just over a minute and a half to stretch the lead to 35-13 with 4:09 left before half.
A pair of three-point plays by Radojevic and back-to-back layups by Moore keyed a 12-6 UND run over the final four minutes, as the Hawks pulled within 41-25 at the break.
Durkin led Minnesota with 12 first-half points and was one of five Gophers players with 3 rebounds, Crocker-Johnson had 7 points, and Asuma had 6 points, 4 assists, and a pair of blocked shots. The Gophers were 15 of 31 (.484) from the field, including 7 of 16 (.438) from 3-point range behind Durkin's 4 of 5. Minnesota had 13 assists on its 15 field goals.
Radojevic and Moore led UND with eight points each in the first half. The Fighting Hawks fought shooting struggles in the opening 20 minutes by going 8 of 32 (.250) overal, and 1 of 15 (.067) from distance, but made 8 of 11 (.727) at the line and held a 23-21 rebounding edge.
Evans and Crocker-Johnson kicked off a 12-0 run with 3-pointers,and Kordel added back-to-back dunks for an exclamation point, extending the lead to 53-27 at the first media timeout of the half. Kordel added two more dunks around an Asuma layup for an 18-0 run and a 59-27 lead with 14:40 remaining.
Crocker-Johnson's third 3-pointer, the 10th for the Gophers, put Minnesota up by 34, but a 5-0 UND run cut the lead to 62-33. A dunk by Grove ended that run, but UND narrowed the lead to 25 before it ballooned back to the 38-point margin and settling on 35.
The Gophers play host to another member of the Summit League on Friday, as the Tommies of St. Thomas visit The Barn for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff on Peacock/NSBSN.
Notes: Minnesota improved to 21-2 with 15-straight wins vs. UND ... Minnesota is 14-4 at The Barn under Medved, and has won 14-straight at home against non-conference teams ... Minnesota is 98-6 all-time vs. Summit League teams ... the 3 blocked shots for Isaac Asuma was a career-high after he had 2 blocked shots five times … Kai Shinholster's 6 assists is a new career best, and he added 7 points and 4 rebounds … the 35-point win in a season-opener was the largest for Minnesota since also defeating Cleveland State 85-50 on Nov. 5, 2019.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's BasketballTeam Stats
UND
MINN
FG%
.288
.548
3FG%
.107
.400
FT%
.684
.538
RB
36
43
TO
13
9
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Tuesday, November 03
Monday, November 02
Monday, November 02
Thursday, October 29