MINNEAPOLIS – Trailing Illinois 15-8 just over six minutes into Saturday’s game, Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith went to his bench looking for a spark.
In typical Smith fashion he made wholesale changes, sitting four starters. A minute later, five reserves were on the court, turning a seven-point deficit into a 22-18 lead.
With their two top scorers combining for just eight points Saturday, the Gophers got an unexpected lift from their bench in a 77-72 overtime win against the Illini on Saturday. Starter Austin Hollins sent the game into overtime with a flurry at the end of regulation, but the bench answered the call again in overtime to help Minnesota (16-6, 4-5 Big Ten) to its fourth win in five games.
Austin Hollins and reserve Chip Armelin each scored 14 points, and reserve Andre Hollins scored five of his 12 points in overtime as the Gophers beat Illinois in overtime for the second time this season.
“When we substituted early in the game, that group did a fantastic job of lifting our spirits and giving us a lot more energy,” Smith said. “It was a huge win for us that we needed desperately.”
The Gophers have relied on their starters while climbing into the middle of the conference pack the past two weeks. Smith’s tinkering with the starting lineup had stopped and the same five players —Julian Welch, Joe Coleman, Austin Hollins, Rodney Williams and Ralph Sampson III — had started each of the past five games.
But Smith wants to use his many interchangeable parts and draw on the team’s depth to wear down opponents. His often-used tactic since coming to Minnesota has involved substituting five players at a time early in games. However, the bench scored just nine points in a 68-52 loss to Michigan State last game. The reserves had 13 points against Northwestern and 12 against Penn State.
Saturday was a different story though as the Gophers bench outscored the Illini reserves 39-9.
Bench scoring accounted for 20 of the 30 first-half points and seven of the 13 in overtime.
Armelin tied career highs in points and assists (three) and added seven rebounds. A pair of no-look passes by Armelin on fast breaks led to a lay-up and a dunk while Minnesota built a 30-26 halftime lead.
“Chip played great,” Austin Hollins said. “He hit some big shots, played defense. He brought the energy that I was talking about that the second group brought. I think Chip played a great game.”
Oto Osenieks had eight points off the bench and Elliott Eliason added five points and five rebounds.
Austin Hollins, who came in averaging 8.4 points per game, committed a big turnover with 44 seconds left, stepping on the sideline while taking an inbounds pass. But he made up for it by hitting a crucial 3-pointer to bring Minnesota within 62-61. After two free throws by Illinois’ Brandon Paul, who scored a game-high 28 points, Hollins then passed up on a 3-pointer and drove to the basket, hitting an off-balance shot while being fouled and forced overtime with a free throw.
Once the starter got them to overtime, the Gophers bench was ready again.
Andre Hollins scored five points and Armelin added a pair of free throws as Minnesota closed out the win.
“We’ve been working hard in practice, playing against each other, challenging each other,” Andre Hollins said. “It served us well today.”
Smith sees the competition in practice and knows he has the type of depth he prefers.
“Those kids are very competitive in practice,” Smith said of the bench. “They can beat the first team and vice versa. They play with a lot of passion. Not that the other guys don’t, but I think maybe they want to pace themselves some. These guys know when they go in the game they are going all out. That’s what they give you; just give you everything they have.”
