Analysis: Gophers men’s basketball team can credit comeback against Nebraska Omaha to timely plays by various players

Ben Johnson scratched his head Saturday, looking at the boxscore and wondering how his team escaped with a 68-64 victory against Nebraska Omaha.

The Gophers missed 11 free throws and shot 3-for-17 from three-point range. They were outrebounded and in foul trouble.

Trailing by three points with less than six minutes left, the Gophers had leading scorer Dawson Garcia on the bench with four fouls and their top guard, Mike Mitchell Jr., in the locker room because of an injury.

Johnson didn’t see his team panic. The Gophers responded to adversity the way he had hoped they would. They used defense and timely baskets to go on a 7-0 run to pull ahead for good down the stretch.

“We were looking for something to get us going,” Johnson said. “It carried us from there and gave guys a little bit of spirit.”

The Gophers (2-0) went 5-3 last season in games decided by five points or fewer and also won seven games in which they trailed at halftime. They trailed 33-30 at halftime against the Mavericks but found a way to win their first close game of the 2024-25 season.

Here are four things learned from the second win of the season:

There was no clear decision by the Gophers on the starting point guard entering the season, but the assignment seemed to be heading in Mitchell’s direction after his nine assists in the season-opening 80-57 win vs. Oral Roberts. Mitchell going down with an apparent left ankle injury Saturday meant someone had to replace him.

Lu’Cye Patterson was the answer in the second half.

“I just knew I had to be more of a leader, especially when a leader and veteran like Mike goes down,” Patterson said. “That puts more on my shoulders. Just trying to find ways to win, that’s what we did.”

A Minneapolis native who played at Minnesota Prep Academy, Patterson scored all of his eight points in the second half and also had six assists. His biggest play arguably was a block on Omaha’s J.J. White with the Gophers leading 66-64 with 24 seconds left. He followed with two free throws after grabbing the defensive rebound and drawing a foul.

“Just made a big stop,” Patterson said. “I felt like he got me in the first half, going into the half he scored on me. I kind of took it personal. I wanted him to try something at the end.”

Garcia seems to be on a mission. Not being among the top 50 college basketball players in several preseason rankings seems to have put a big chip on his shoulder this season.

The 6-11 Savage native is averaging 27 points and 7.5 rebounds through two games. He’s shooting 20-for-30 from the field, 4-for-8 from three-point range and 10-for-13 from the foul line.

NBA scouts have been wanting to see more consistency from Garcia — and he’s delivered that and more. Garcia, who had 24 points and seven rebounds Saturday, scored one field goal in the last 9:16 after sitting with foul trouble, but his presence made all the difference once he returned to the floor.

Around the two-minute mark, Garcia scored after an offensive rebound for a three-point lead. He hit one of two free throws with 45 seconds to play for a two-point advantage.

Freshman Isaac Asuma’s only points Saturday came when they were needed most.

Asuma’s three-pointer with just under six minutes left tied the game 57-57 and sparked the game-changing 7-0 run in the second half. He’s 3-for-3 from beyond the arc this season, but he isn’t typically looking for his own shot.

“He’s the type of guy we’re going to see grow as the year goes on game by game,” Johnson said.

The four-star recruit from Cherry, Minn., has actually played more combined minutes in his first two games than former All-Big Ten freshman Cam Christie played last season, 48 minutes to 44.

“You’ve got a freshman out there playing 25 minutes defensively and he didn’t make many mistakes,” Johnson said. “He takes care of the ball. Didn’t get sped up. Didn’t get rattled. It’s good to have that versatility at your guard position.”

Not knowing what his role would be this season, senior Trey Edmonds prepared himself to give the Gophers a lift off the bench in the frontcourt.

Edmonds took advantage of more post touches with Garcia and Parker Fox in foul trouble. He ranked second on the team with 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting. Three of his four made free throws came in the second half, when points were hard to come by.

A shoulder injury kept potential impact transfer Frank Mitchell out of the first two games, so Edmonds took on more responsibility in the paint, including 23 minutes in the opener.

A 6-10, 250-pound Texas San Antonio transfer, Edmonds said he improved in practices battling Garcia over the summer and fall. He’s averaging 9.0 points on 64% shooting from the field in 20 minutes of playing time per game.