Gophers grind out another uninspiring nonconference win over Chicago State

It wasn't pretty, but Minnesota picked up its fourth win of the season on Tuesday night.

Nov 18, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Isaac Asuma (1) works around Chicago State Cougars guard Braelon Bush (21) during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Gophers had a great opportunity to forget about Saturday's overtime slugfest against Green Bay, but it took them a while to get going in another hard-fought 66-54 win over Chicago State at Williams Arena on Tuesday.

Minnesota had two full days off after Saturday's overtime win over the Phoenix. It got off to a good start with a 22-8 lead with 9:11 to go in the first half, but there wasn't much to write home about after that.

Chicago State came into Tuesday's game rated as the No. 361 team in college basketball out of 365, according to KenPom.com. The Cougars had a competitive first half, cutting Minnesota's lead to 31-24 heading into the break.

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North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson led Minnesota in scoring for the first four games of the season, and he did again on Tuesday night. He started with 12 points in the first half, and a third foul early in the second half forced him to the bench. The Gophers struggled to find consistent offensive production, but Tyson finished with 22 points on 6 of 13 shooting from the field.

THE JAM 🔥

Cade Tyson's dunk at the start of the 2nd

Subscribe/watch on B1G+ https://t.co/nJnnCBF5dj pic.twitter.com/Bb9UIdoXKX

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) November 19, 2025

Minnesota continued to struggle against all the different defenses Chicago State was deploying, much like Saturday's game against Green Bay. They shot only 19 of 52 (36.5%) from the field as a team, and 7 of 28 (25%) from three-point range.

Chicago State took a 47-45 lead with 7:51 to go. The Gophers finally began to turn things around, and they proceeded to go on an 8-0 run, and they got the scoreboard to a reasonable outcome of 66-54.

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson was second on the team with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Isaac Asuma added a season-high 14 points. Minnesota had only six points off the bench, and it will need to find more production from its role players as the season goes on.

Now 4-1, they will look ahead to a step-up in competition against San Francisco on Saturday. That game will be played in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the Sanford Pentagon, and it will tip off at 4:30 p.m. CT.