Finding a way to win in the Big Ten has always been a challenge for the Gophers men’s basketball team, but the players believed it could happen.
Gophers fans also had a feeling something could be different Thursday night as the game against No. 20 Michigan entered its final stages.
With seconds left in overtime to tie the game and no timeouts, Lucy Patterson received an inbounds pass and raced through midcourt. But he wasn’t open, so he kicked the ball back to Dawson Garcia.
Garcia has done almost everything for his team, so why not hit a buzzer-beater too?
Garcia’s logo-marked shot from a few steps inside the half-court line gave the Gophers their first Big Ten win of the season and their No. 1 ranking under fourth-year coach Ben Johnson. They defeated the Wolverines 84-81 in overtime in front of an announced crowd of 8,877 at Williams. Arena.
“It’s very emotional to see how much we wanted to win and to see it go viral like this,” said Garcia, who had 27 points and 12 rebounds, including a game-tying free throw with 7.4 seconds left in regulation. he said. “Lu’Cye trusts me to knock down shots. I’m really grateful to my teammates and God for me to be in that position.”
Danny Wolfe’s layup with seven seconds left in OT tied Michigan at 81-81, but Garcia kept the Gophers from losing. The 6-11 senior was swarmed by fans and teammates after taking perhaps the biggest shot of his college career.
Patterson scored 22 points and Mike Mitchell added 20 for the Gophers, who led for just 8 minutes, 4 seconds. But they never trailed in OT, and as Patterson dribbled down the court on the final possession of the game, Garcia claimed the ball.
