Gophers escape upset in 61-60 win over Western Michigan; transfer Dawson Garcia scores 23 in debut

The debut for Dawson Garcia in a Gophers basketball uniform had to wait a week after the former five-star local high school standout rested a minor injury in his team's exhibition victory.

That just heightened the anticipation for the season opener, when Garcia was cleared to play and announced in the starting lineup to resounding cheers.

The Gophers are far from healthy to begin Ben Johnson's second season as coach. Three scholarship players are out, most notably leading returning scorer and rebounder Jamison Battle, an All-Big Ten preseason selection.

Garcia, a 6-11 North Carolina transfer, helped the Gophers overcome injuries and poor foul shooting with a team-high 23 points and seven rebounds in a 61-60 opening victory against Western Michigan on front of an announced crowd of 8,119 at Williams Arena.

"We got a bunch of guys who work hard, but he works really hard," Johnson said of Garcia, who was recovering from a muscle strain. "When you combine talent with a a great work ethic this is what happens. When the opportunity presents itself, you deliver."

Ta'Lon Cooper, who played all 40 minutes, also had a stellar debut with 17 points and 10 assists for the Gophers.

But the Gophers gave their visiting Mid-American opponent a chance to nearly pull off the upset by committing 16 turnovers and shooting 9-for-23 on free throws, including five consecutive misses in the last 20 seconds. They were outscored 10-2 in the last one minute, 55 seconds.

"We hit some shots down the stretch, but we definitely needed to hit the free throws," Garcia said. "It felt great being on the court in the Barn playing for the first time as a Gopher in front of the crowd."

The buzz from watching the first McDonald's All-America in nearly 20 years play for the U turned worrisome when Western Michigan cut a double-figure deficit to 56-50 late.

Garcia's first basket in maroon and gold came less than five minutes into game with a three-pointer. His last shot also a smooth lefthanded jumper from beyond the arc just under two minutes to play made it 59-50. He finished 8-for-16 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three.

Johnson's team relied on three-point shooting (8-for-18) even without arguably his two best shooters, Battle and freshman Braeden Carrington (ankle).

The Gophers broke away from a 22-22 tie late in the first half when freshman Jaden Henley, who started in the backcourt, got his first points with a three to spark an 8-0 run.

A third consecutive three-pointer and fifth of the first half from the Gophers was buried by Garcia, who scored five consecutive points to put the home crowd at ease with a 35-26 halftime advantage.

In the first half, Cooper nearly had a double-double with seven points and eight assists with only one turnover. The 6-4 junior point guard finished seventh in the nation with 5.9 assists per game in 2021-22. He wasn't known for his scoring in three seasons at Morehead State, but he could be displaying a different side in his new home.

Garcia scored the first six points of the second half when the Gophers grabbed their biggest lead at 41-28, but the Broncos carried over their confidence from the opening period.

Lamar Norman Jr., who led the MAC in scoring last season, cut Western Michigan's deficit to five points, but Cooper responded with six straight points.

The U saw its lead dwindle again to 50-43 midway through the second half, but Cooper woke the Barn up with his third three to extend the margin to double digits again.

The Gophers, who played three freshmen and a sophomore, won't have versatile forwards Isaiah Ihnen and Parker Fox for the second consecutive year after season-ending knee injuries. The lack of experience was apparent in the opener.

Two of four team captains, Garcia and Cooper set the tone Monday.

"They did a good job of making winning plays when we needed them," Johnson said. "I think that's that veteran leadership. They're going to have to do that because you look around and there's not a lot of guys who have been in that moment."