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Ohio State freshman guard D.J. Carton (3) goes in for a shot in the second half of the game against Penn State on Dec. 7. Ohio State won 106-74. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Managing Editor for Multimedia

Ohio State basketball’s high-flying start to the 2019-20 season came crashing back to earth Sunday.

Minnesota (5-5, 1-1 Big Ten) turned in a golden performance against No. 3 Ohio State (9-1, 1-1), shooting 37 percent from 3 and 54 percent overall for a 84-71 victory in Minneapolis.

Sophomore guard Marcus Carr led the way for the Gophers, scoring a career-high 35 points with three 3s. Carr had 28 in the second half alone, and shot 12-for-17. Entering the game, Ohio State hadn’t allowed any opposing player to score more than 19.

During a nine-game winning streak to open the season, Ohio State leapt out to huge second-half leads in its biggest games to capture blowout victories.

Minnesota stuck that shoe on the other foot Sunday.

Already ahead by nine in the second half’s opening moments, the Gophers launched a 10-1 run with six points generated by Carr.

When the dust settled Minnesota led 55-37. Ohio State never again sliced the lead below nine.

Freshman guard D.J. Carton finished with a team-high 19 points in the losing effort.

Junior forward Kaleb Wesson rounded out his evening with 12, limited by three fouls in under five minutes of second half play that left him with four for the remaining 13:47.

Sophomore guard Duane Washington, who scored 18 and 14 points respectively in two top 10 wins for Ohio State, missed the contest with a rib injury. 

Washington entered No. 2 on the team with 11.4 points per game, and senior forward Andre Wesson scored just six points in his place in the starting lineup.

Ohio State pushed back within 12 after Minnesota’s run with a 6-0 spurt of its own, but three straight makes by Minnesota sophomore center Daniel Oturo quelled the Buckeyes’ momentum.

Wesson came back onto the floor and hit a layup that cut it back to 61-49 with 7:37 to play, but the Gophers used a short 6-0 run to respond. 

Minnesota rained down from 3 in the first half Sunday, storming to an early edge against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes led 14-13 before Minnesota senior forward Alihan Demir drained a triple, opening a string of three 3s by the Gophers to extend their newfound lead to 22-16.

Freshman guard Tre’ Williams hit a fall-away layup to finish a 13-2 Minnesota run that gave it a 24-16 advantage.

After some traded baskets, the Gopher lead grew to 11 after another 3 by Carr.

Minnesota led 38-29 at halftime.

Both teams failed to score in the first 2:17 Sunday, but the next 2:31 were jam-packed with 20 points.

The sides exchanged leads several times before a layup by Carr gave the Gophers an 11-9 advantage at the first media timeout.

Entering the game, Ohio State was No. 2 in the country in opposing shooting percentage, allowing teams just 33 percent from the field. Minnesota shot 15 percent better than any other team has against the Buckeyes so far.

Ohio State hopes to rebound against Southeast Missouri State Tuesday. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.