Despite Penn State's abnormally slow start, they controlled much of the first 20 minutes. It wasn't until a Brennan Rigsby dunk late in the first half that sparked a 6-0 run and Minnesota trailed 25-21 heading into halftime. It was the lowest-scoring first half of a Big Ten game this season.

One caveat to the first half of the Gophers men’s basketball team’s Big Ten schedule was its overall difficulty. While Minnesota struggled, its list of foes was considered top three toughest in