Gophers battle to hold off Nebraska 74-71 after Jamison Battle fouls out with nine minutes left

CHICAGO – Ben Johnson's first Big Ten tournament appearance as the Gophers men's basketball coach a year ago didn't last long, ending with an opening-round exit in Indianapolis.

Johnson's second year had been an even bigger struggle from start to finish in conference play, but the postseason offered a chance to take momentum into next year.

As poorly as the Gophers played throughout this season, they were a much more confident team Wednesday night — and it led to a 78-75 win against Nebraska in the Big Ten tourney's first round at the United Center.

"Throughout the year through the different adversity we faced we just kept showing up," Johnson told the Big Ten Network. "You build confidence in that when you're doing the right thing and you do it over time."

The Gophers (9-21), who played without second-leading scorer Jamison Battle for the last nine minutes after he fouled out, advance to play Maryland in Thursday's second round.

"Just showed up each and every day," said Dawson Garcia, who had a team-high 18 points and 13 rebounds. "We know we're playing good basketball now. We know it's not a fluke. We're going to continue to ride this wave."

Ta'Lon Cooper finished with 16 points and a team Big Ten tournament-record 12 assists. But his biggest impact maybe was at his weakest skill set — and his team's weakest as well.

Sam Griesel's two free throws cut it to 76-75 with 7.2 seconds to play, but Cooper hit the first of two foul shots for a two-point lead.

The Gophers were the worst foul shooting team in the nation but hit 14 of 20 Wednesday, including their first seven free throws in the second half. Cooper, who was shooting 59% at the line, hit eight of 10 free throws, including four in the last 27 seconds to help secure the win.

"Nothing was really going through my mind," Cooper said. "Just stepping up, just knocking down the free throws. They make me come in every day and shoot 75 free throws, so I think that helped a lot. Just having confidence."

Johnson was ecstatic when his last-place Big Ten squad went into halftime with a lead after shooting 58% from the field. It was a near picture-perfect half offensively with crisp execution and ball movement, including 14 of the Gophers' season-high 25 assists.

Frustration would come for Johnson, though. He had to be held back by assistants when he picked up a technical after Battle fouled out with 13 points and eight rebounds. He tried to take a charge on Griesel. A big lead was slipping away, but it was a different ending from so many others.

The Gophers ended the regular season with 15 losses in their last 17 games, which included the longest losing streak in seven years at 12 straight.

The Cornhuskers (16-16), who had won five of six games to finish conference play, opened with an 8-0 lead after forcing four turnovers and holding their opponent to 0-for-5 shooting to start. The Gophers responded with their hottest shooting first half this season, hitting 14 of their next 17 shots.

The Gophers, who hit 10 threes Wednesday, also found their shots falling to open the second half, and they took a 50-39 lead after Garcia's second three with just under 16 minutes to play.

Having swept the Gophers during the regular season, Nebraska would keep fighting. Battle's last basket made it 60-53, but he picked up consecutive fouls to send him to the bench for good in what could've been his last game before turning pro.

Griesel, who drew both calls by attacking the rim, scored a layup to cut it to a one-point margin with just under six minutes left.

The Gophers had four freshmen in the rotation this season, which was more than any other Big Ten team. That helped them late as three freshmen were on the floor down the stretch Wednesday night keeping the Gophers ahead. Braeden Carrington's three extended it to 66-62 around the five-minute mark.

A couple of minutes later, Jaden Henley, who had 14 points, nailed three free throws for another six-point advantage.

In Sunday's 71-67 loss against Wisconsin to finish the regular season, the Gophers missed eight free throws, including several in the waning seconds. That wasn't the case in the Big Ten tournament opener as they lived to fight another day.