Gophers get a familiar boost from Dawson Garcia, pound Bethune-Cookman in men’s basketball

After going winless in two games in an Orlando tournament, the Gophers didn’t have anything to show for what Ben Johnson thought was the best play he had seen from his basketball team.

On Sunday he and his players saw their improvement rewarded with a 79-62 win against Bethune-Cookman at Williams Arena.

“We didn’t get the results we wanted, but we were playing our best basketball,” Johnson said of the trip to Florida. “Just how we played and how we looked; guys were getting more comfortable.”

The Gophers (6-3) lost to Wichita State and Wake Forest in Florida — and both games came down to the last few possessions. After playing six games decided by six points or fewer, they made it easier on themselves Sunday.

Dawson Garcia broke out of a two-game slump with a team-high 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting. Brennan Rigsby added 14 points on 4-for-8 three-point shooting.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Gophers ranked 17th out of 18 Big Ten teams in three-point shooting at 26.6%, including 6-for-41 in Orlando. They looked like a completely different team at home Sunday, shooting 11-for-23 from three-point range. Improved offense also showed in their 25 assists on 29 field goals.

“We’re getting in a rhythm,” Johnson said. “There was really good carryover from what we did in Florida and how we played and how it looked.”

Bethune-Cookman (2-6) played Nebraska to a five-point game in Lincoln this season, so it wasn’t intimidated trailing 38-26 at halftime. The Wildcats pulled within 38-34 after opening the second half with an 8-0 run, but they didn’t get any closer.

Lu’Cye Patterson and Isaac Asuma nailed back-to-back three-pointers at the end of a 25-7 run in the second half. Following a Rigsby three, Garcia hit four consecutive free throws to give the Gophers their biggest lead at 72-44 with 4:38 to play.

In the first half, the Gophers trailed for the first time around the 14-minute mark, but they used a 22-4 run to stretch the lead to as much as 17 points. Trey Edmonds had nine points in the first half to spark the rally.

The Gophers desperately needed Garcia back on track and to rebuild their team confidence Sunday with Wednesday’s early Big Ten opener coming up against Michigan State at the Barn.

The Spartans (6-2) aren’t ranked this season, but they upset No. 12 North Carolina 94-91 in overtime last week.

Not only was it key to get Garcia playing well, but Rigsby also was a concern. He missed most of the second half vs. Wake Forest because of an ankle injury, and he had gone 0-for-12 on three-pointers in his previous three games.

“We got out in transition, and that helped get the ball moving,” Rigsby said. “Ball wasn’t sticking, and that translated to easy shots and easy buckets.”

For the first time since the 2022-23 season, Garcia had scored under double figures in consecutive games entering Sunday; he had only 12 points combined on 4-for-19 shooting vs. Wake Forest and Wichita State.

The 6-11 senior from Savage was a Big Ten Player of the Year candidate before the Florida trip, when he was averaging nearly 23 points per game. The competition was not nearly as tough Sunday, but Garcia needed to see shots fall again.

Garcia scored 13 of his 23 points in the second half, to go with five rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Senior guards Mike Mitchell Jr. (ankle) and Tyler Cochran (foot) were out Sunday for the Gophers. Mitchell missed his seventh consecutive game since suffering a high ankle sprain Nov. 9 vs. Nebraska Omaha. Former Macalester standout and senior Caleb Williams, who was sidelined because of mononucleosis, made his season debut Sunday and hit a three-pointer in the last minute.

The Gophers have two Big Ten games in early December. After hosting Michigan State on Wednesday, they travel to play Dec. 9 at No. 14 Indiana.