Gophers keep their cool down the stretch to nip Wolverines 73-71

ANN ARBOR, MICH. – With the Gophers leading Michigan by a basket late in the second half Thursday, Ben Johnson had in the back of his mind games that slipped away because his team lacked a winner's mentality.

But this wasn't the same Minnesota team that had dropped tight games against Missouri and Ohio State earlier this season.

The Gophers' margin of victory entering Thursday ranked third in the Big Ten at 14 points per game. They built a win streak against mostly lesser opponents in nonconference play, but it worked to change the way they finish games.

In their first Big Ten game since early December, the Gophers never seemed to get rattled down the stretch to record their sixth consecutive victory Thursday, 73-71 against the Wolverines at Crisler Center.

"This is an unbelievable win for our program for where we're at," Johnson said. "We're playing well. I just think guys piggyback off one another's energy really, really well right now. That's why we were able to get a huge road win."

Mike Mitchell Jr. had 18 points to lead five players in double figures for the Gophers, who won in Ann Arbor for the second time since 2011. Elijah Hawkins added 14 points and seven assists.

The Gophers (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) saw their seven-point lead twice cut to one possession with one minute left to play, including after Olivier Nkamhoua's two free throws with 26 seconds remaining.

A dunk from Joshua Ola-Joseph was the Gophers' final score of the game with 36 seconds left, but they finished the game with the biggest defensive stop so far this season.

Michigan's leading scorer Dug McDaniel drove the lane, but the Gophers forced an errant shot before grabbing the rebound to seal the victory. McDaniel, who averages 19 points, was held to nine points on 3-for-11 shooting.

"We just stayed composed," Hawkins said. "We grew from all the losses we took in the past. We got a little erratic at times previously. We tried to stay even and play our game, even though being on the road the atmosphere gets crazy when the game is close."

Trailing by seven points early in the second half, the Gophers used a 16-6 run to take a 56-53 lead following baskets from Braeden Carrington and Dawson Garcia, who both had missed three games.

Garcia, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds, was playing his second game back after missing a few weeks because of a left ankle injury. The 6-11 junior struggled with 2-for-9 shooting in the first half, but he seemed to find his rhythm as the game unfolded similar to his last Big Ten road game.

On Dec. 3 at Ohio State, Garcia scored 28 of his career-high 36 points in the second half. Unfortunately, the Gophers didn't give their leading scorer much help in the loss. That completely changed after Garcia was sidelined.

Johnson saw several players grow in bigger roles in five consecutive victories, starting with the Dec. 6 win vs. Nebraska. And that carried over into Thursday's second-half turnaround.

The Wolverines (6-8, 1-2) tied it 59-59 with six minutes left, but Pharrel Payne (12 points off the bench) gave the Gophers the momentum after muscling his way to back-to-back field goals, including an emphatic dunk.

Hawkins and Mitchell showed why they are the U's most experienced backcourt since the program won at Michigan with Johnson's first Big Ten victory in the 2021-22 season.

Back-to-back three-pointers from the two transfer guards extended Minnesota's advantage to seven points before Michigan rallied.

"We experienced Missouri and [an 18-point loss vs. San Francisco]," Mitchell said. "Winning stretches like this will help us down the line. Our whole team has confidence."

Johnson's second Big Ten road win came last season when the Gophers defeated Ohio State, but that would be their lone bright spot during a 9-22 season, including 2-17 in league play.

With their first game in the new year, the Gophers have already tied their conference win total from a year ago, but they still have room for growth entering Sunday's home game at Maryland.