Gophers men's basketball hangs on to beat Western Kentucky 73-69

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Jamison Battle was playing in only his second official game in a Gophers uniform Friday in the Asheville Championship opener, so it was no surprise he went overlooked early.

First-year Gophers coach Ben Johnson took over his alma mater with 10 newcomers, but Battle was on everyone's radar after scoring 18 of his 20 points in the first half of a 73-69 victory over Western Kentucky.

The Gophers saw a 16-point lead dwindle to 71-69 after a tip shot from Jairus Hamilton with 3.2 seconds left.

Battle drew most of the attention defensively in the second half, but his teammates made sure to finish the game off strong.

"I told our guys they're going to make an adjustment and play him differently," Johnson said about Battle. "We're going to be a team that probably can't rely on one guy for an entire game."

The Gophers advanced to Sunday's title game in Asheville to play Princeton, a 66-62 winner over South Carolina.

Payton Willis, E.J. Stephens and Eric Curry, who combined for 48 points, were the go-to guys late. Stephens' two free throws with less than 3 seconds left finally secured the win.

Western Kentucky's Dayvion McKnight nearly singlehandedly led his team during the comeback with 28 of his game-high 34 points in the second half.

In Tuesday's 71-56 win against Missouri Kansas City, the Gophers shot 8-for-22 from three-point range, but they hit eight of their 12 threes Friday in the first half – five from Battle.

"When I'm getting the ball, I'm looking to shoot and I'm looking to score," said Battle, who transferred from George Washington. "Coach said before the game if you're open shoot with confidence. I think we did that today."

Johnson's first big recruiting win was to convince Battle, a fellow DeLaSalle High School graduate, to return home after entering the transfer portal in the spring.

The 6-7 sophomore picked up immediate interest from dozens of schools, including Arizona, Arkansas, Marquette, Nebraska, and Tennessee. But there was hardly any doubt he would come back to Minnesota.

Battle's sister, Amaya, signed with the Gophers and women's basketball coach Lindsay Whalen on early national signing day Wednesday, but it was a bittersweet moment. Her mother and Jamison's stepmom, Stephanie, died on Oct. 26.

The [best] thing about being at home was being there for my dad and my sister," Battle said. "It's been tough and hard for us, but it's about us sticking together."

On Friday, Battle hit his first three-pointer during Minnesota's 9-0 run in the first five minutes of the game that resulted in an 11-2 start.

The Hilltoppers (1-1), the Conference USA East Division champions last season, pulled within three points midway through the first half, but Battle scored 14 consecutive points for the Gophers, including three shots in a row from beyond the arc.

His confidence became contagious when Stephens nailed a three from the corner that beat the first-half buzzer for a 35-23 halftime lead.

Western Kentucky came back from a 14-point deficit on Tuesday in a 79-74 win against Alabama State at home, so it wouldn't go down easily in Asheville.

Battle was quiet in the second half, but his two free throws made it 59-43 with 10:16 remaining. The Gophers were outscored 24-11 in a run that ended with McKnight's three-pointer and two free throws making it 70-67 with 36 seconds left.

It was the second straight game that the Gophers pulled away after losing a big second-half lead, but their experience showed in crunch time again.

"Jamison went crazy in the first half and got us out on the big run," Stephens said. "But when you play against a good team, you're going to have runs. We said before the game we're going to have to fight through adversity."