Gophers lose to Badgers to end season; Jamison Battle likely to turn pro

Gophers coach Ben Johnson knew entering Sunday's regular-season finale against Wisconsin that this would likely be Jamison Battle's last game playing in front of his friends and family at Williams Arena.

Battle had earlier conversations with the Gophers on turning professional after this season. The junior forward was among the three seniors honored for graduating this year, including Ta'Lon Cooper and Taurus Samuels.

Plans to send off Battle and Co. on a winning note, though, were spoiled by their rival Badgers, who were also playing for something in the Gophers' 71-67 loss Sunday night in front of a season-high 12,276.

Dawson Garcia scored 19 points to lead the Gophers (8-21, 2-17), who likely will see Battle play his last game in the Big Ten tournament this week in Chicago. They open Wednesday as the No. 14 seed against No. 11 Nebraska at the United Center.

"That's a goal of his, so we'll support him 100 percent in that," Johnson said on the pro decision for Battle, who transferred home from George Washington last season. "He's done everything right from two years ago to put himself in a position to have an opportunity."

Battle has another year of eligibility remaining but will graduate this year with a degree in sports management.

"Jamison we've kind of known for awhile," Johnson said. "Each kid is different for why they don't want to come back or why they do not want to come back. Some guys don't love school. Some guys just want to move on to the next phase. He's just in the mind frame of that's exciting to him right now. He's done his four years and he's done it at a high level."

Chucky Hepburn's go-ahead three with 47 seconds left helped Wisconsin (17-13, 9-11) remain in contention for an NCAA tournament berth after entering the game firmly on the bubble. Minnesota natives Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl finished with 21 points each for the Badgers, who shot 60% in the second half.

The Gophers thought they were close to sending their graduated seniors out on a winning note, but Hepburn broke a 62-62 tie with a three and a free throw with less than a minute to play. With no field goals in the last 2½ minutes, the Gophers had a chance to tie the score at the foul line but struggled, and finished 11-for-19 in the game.

Following Samuels' 1-for-2 on free throws, Battle stole Wisconsin's inbounds pass and was fouled with 7.8 to play. But he missed the first before sinking the second to pull within 67-66.

The Badgers, who were 14-for-17 at the line, hit their last four free throws to secure the season series sweep, after beating the Gophers 63-60 on Jan. 3 in Madison.

On Sunday, the Gophers were outplaying an NCAA tournament-caliber squad for most of the night. Following Garcia's seven points early in the second half, Braeden Carrington's three gave the Gophers a 53-46 lead with just under 11 minutes to play. But the Badgers had a significant advantage inside, scoring 48 points in the paint.

The Gophers were outscored 16-6 when Connor Essegian hit two free throws for a 62-59 lead. A blow to their low post presence came when Pharrel Payne fouled out with four minutes left.

Cooper answered with a clutch three-point play after being fouled on a scoop shot off the glass to tie the score 62-62 with 2:37 remaining, but the Gophers failed to finish this time.

"Our mind-set has to be the next game isn't our last game," Garcia said about the Big Ten tournament. "We just have to go into every game fighting like it's win or go home."

Battle finished with five points on 1-for-8 shooting Sunday, but his first basket beat the halftime buzzer and gave his team a six-point lead.

On Thursday vs. Rutgers, Battle hit a buzzer-beating three to snap a 12-game losing streak and win the U's first Big Ten home game this season. On Sunday, Battle thanked the Gophers fans who stayed behind postgame for the senior night ceremony.

"I want to thank the best fans in the country," he said. "I want to thank Coach Johnson for this opportunity. I want to thank all my teammates and coaches. I want to thank my mom for being my rock and always being there for me."

Cooper, who ranked third in the Big Ten in assists, has a year of eligibility left after transferring from Morehead State, but Johnson doesn't know yet if he'll return to the program.

"We'll talk to Ta'Lon," Johnson said. "But kind of recruiting him we thought we would take it one year at a time. Sometimes in recruiting we get a [2023 Gophers recruit] Cam Christie because you have an opportunity. You get good players because they see an opportunity to compete for minutes right away."