Second half surge propels Minnesota to 77-69 victory
Dawson Garcia lit up the scoreboard again, scoring a season-high 31 points to lead the Gophers to their third straight win in a convincing 77-69 victory over #15 Oregon. The win was the second top-25 victory for Ben Johnson in his last three games, giving students another chance to storm the court.
The Gophers raced out to a 26-8 lead before letting off the gas enough to cede Oregon a 46-44 lead early in the second half. And just when you thought the “same old Gophers” were reverting to their woeful ways, they regrouped to take a lead with 16:55 left that they wouldn’t relinquish.
Minnesota was effective from the field, shooting 53% for the game, while tallying 11 second-chance points to Oregon’s zero, which was the difference.
THE STAT: Minnesota controlled the boards, grabbing 35 rebounds to Oregon’s 26, including 10 offensive rebounds, which led to a bevy of additional points.
TURNING POINT: The Ducks closed the gap to two points with just over 90 seconds left in the game, but a driving layup by Garcia combined with some crucial free throws and stout defense led to a 7-1 finish for the Gophers to ice the game.
HOT: Garcia dominated the stat sheet, but let’s not gloss over Mike Mitchell Jr., who tallied 10 assists and just one turnover, while Parker Fox notched a double-double, turning in 13 points and 11 rebound to finish in double figures, scoring-wise, for the first time since the Ohio State game.
NOT: Frank Mitchell played just 14 minutes, was 1-2 from the field and scored just two points. He was -15 on the night.
GOOD MOVE: Isaac Asuma scored just one point and did not attempt a shot in 22 minutes, however, he was +16 on the night and was a key facilitator in ways that won’t show up in the stat sheet.
UP NEXT: Minnesota has a difficult road test, heading to East Lansing to face Michigan State on Tuesday. The Spartans are ranked 8th in the nation.