Dawson Garcia carried the Gophers men's basketball team on a second-half run Monday, but that hasn't been the formula to victory in the Big Ten so far this season.
As unstoppable as the 6-11 junior forward looked at times, with 19 of his 30 points in the second half, the Gophers played one of their worst halves defensively in Monday's 86-77 home loss against Iowa.
Garcia pointed to the Gophers (12-5, 3-3 Big Ten) jumping ahead 14-3 as a sign of how well they could play. Six points early from Garcia was a sign it might be his night, but that was about as well as Minnesota's players defended compared to the rest of the game.
"We had them down early," Garcia said. "We have to keep our foot on the gas, stay connected and be tough. We just have to want it more than the other team."
Garcia rolling plus solid team defense equals better results. That didn't happen consistently enough Monday. Here are four things learned from the loss to the Hawkeyes:
Defensive issues
Iowa freshman guard Brock Harding had one field goal Monday night, but it happened in spectacular fashion to stretch the U's deficit to 12 points in the second half.
Driving in transition, Harding used a spin move that sent Elijah Hawkins to the ground before finishing with a layup that sent teammates leaping off the bench. Four other Gophers were near Hawkins. None of them tried to stop Harding or contest the shot.