ANN ARBOR, MICH. – With the Gophers leading Michigan by a basket late in the second half Thursday, Ben Johnson stared at his players with a look of frustration after calling a timeout.
Sure, Johnson felt fortunate to be ahead on the scoreboard, but he knew they squandered a chance to widen the margin after empty possessions that lacked ball movement.
The Gophers' margin of victory entering Thursday ranked third in the Big Ten at 14 points per game against mostly lesser opponents in nonconference play. They didn't have many close games.
In their first Big Ten game since early December, the Gophers never seemed to get rattled down the stretch to record their sixth consecutive victory Thursday, 73-71 against the Wolverines at Crisler Arena.
The Gophers (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) saw their seven-point lead twice cut to one possession with one minute left to play, including after Olivier Nkahmoua's two free throws with 26 seconds remaining.
A dunk from Joshua Ola-Joseph was Minnesota's final score of the game with 25 seconds left, but they finished the game with the biggest defensive stop so far this season.
Michigan's leading scorer Dug McDaniel drove the lane, but the Gophers forced an errant floater before grabbing the defensive rebound to seal the victory.
Mike Mitchell Jr. had 18 points to lead five players in double figures for the Gophers, who won in Ann Arbor for the second time since 2011. Elijah Hawkins added 14 points and seven assists.
- BOXSCORE: Gophers 73, Michigan 71
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Trailing by seven points early in the second half, the Gophers used a 16-6 run to take a 56-53 lead with a basket from Dawson Garcia with under nine minutes to play.
Garcia, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds, was playing his second game back after missing a few weeks because of a left ankle injury. The 6-11 junior struggled with 2-for-9 shooting in the first half, but he seemed to find his rhythm as the game unfolded similar to his last Big Ten road game.
On Dec. 3 at Ohio State, Garcia scored 28 of his career-high 36 points in second half. Unfortunately, the Gophers didn't give their leading scorer much help in the loss. That would completely change after Garcia was sidelined.
Johnson saw several players grow in bigger roles in five consecutive victories, starting with the Dec. 6 win vs. Nebraska. And that carried over into Thursday's second half turnaround vs. Michigan.
The Wolverines tied it 59-59 with six minutes left, but Pharrel Payne (12 points off the bench) gave the Gophers the momentum after muscling his way to back-to-back field goals, including an emphatic dunk.
Hawkins and Mitchell showed why they were the U's most experienced backcourt since the program won at Michigan with Johnson's first Big Ten victory in the 2021-22 season.
Back-to-back three-pointers from the two transfer point guards extended Minnesota's advantage to seven points. Another Payne dunk on a pass from Hawkins made it 71-66 with just under 90 seconds remaining.
The Gophers entered Thursday leading the Big Ten and ranked second nationally behind Kansas with nearly 70 percent of their field goals assisted on. Big Ten games are often played at a slower pace, but the Gophers adjusted after a shaky first half offensively.
Johnson's second Big Ten road win came last season when the Gophers defeated Ohio State, but that would be their lone bright spot during a 9-22 season, including 2-17 in league play.
With their first game in the New Year, the Gophers have already tied their conference win total from a year ago, but they have much more from for growth.
Not only did Garcia return from injury, but the Gophers got former starting guard Braeden Carrington back Thursday after his leave of absence from mental health. Carrington played just nine minutes, but the Gophers were stout defensively.
McDaniel, who averages 19 points, was held to nine points on 3-for-11 shooting.