Jordan Murphy was the spark for the Gophers basketball team Monday night against Clemson in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The 6-foot-6 freshman made the University of Minnesota student section come alive with a high-flying putback dunk in the first half during a rally. His second career three-pointer cut a 10-point deficit to just one just before halftime.
Yet on each occasion, Minnesota coach Richard Pitino immediately sent Murphy to the bench.
Defense was the reason for taking him out, but Murphy's offense was too good to keep him off the floor for long, as he finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Minnesota's 89-83 win over the Tigers at Williams Arena.