Dawson Garcia had 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Gophers beat Michigan 73-71 Thursday night at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. (University of Minnesota Athletics)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team had five players score in double figures and got a late stop in a 73-71 win over Michigan Thursday night at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.
The Gophers improve to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play with the victory. Minnesota won nine games all of last season, and has already matched its conference win total from last season. Mike Mitchell Jr. led the Gophers with 18 points, shooting 4-of-9 from the perimeter. Elijah Hawkins added 14 points, shooting 4-of-5 from three-point range. Dawson Garcia had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Joshua Ola-Joseph added 12 points and three rebounds.
"We knew this game was going to be a battle. You go on the road, it’s going to be a battle and it’s going to test you. I thought our guys showed incredible toughness and fight, they’ve got a tremendous amount of belief right now, and they had a will to find a way to win that game," Gophers' coach Ben Johnson said on his postgame radio show.
But Pharrel Payne was the difference-maker in the second half, with 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists and four blocks.
"I awarded him the belt tonight. He was a warrior and when we needed it, he stepped up. He wasn’t going to be denied," Johnson said.
The Gophers trailed 47-40 in the second half, but tied the game on a Garcia basket. Mitchell and Hawkins hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Minnesota a 69-62 lead with less than four minutes to play. They combined for 32 points on the night.
The Wolverines cut it to 73-71 in the final seconds, but a floater from Dug McDaniel missed and Garcia grabbed the game-sealing rebound. After shooting just 3-of-13 from the perimeter in the first half, the Gophers were 7-of-11 from three-point range over the final 20 minutes.
Minnesota has now won six straight games, dating back to a comeback win over Nebraska on Dec. 6, and got its first true road win of the season. The Gophers host Maryland on Sunday.