Garcia sparks Minnesota in OT, Gophers rally to beat Northwestern 75-66

Feb 3, 2024, 10:11 pm

MINNEAPOLIS -- — Dawson Garcia drilled his first 3-pointer of the game with 2:31 left in overtime and followed it with five free throws as Minnesota came from nine-points down with under six minutes left in regulation to beat Northwestern 75-66 on Saturday.

The win was the second-straight come-from-behind win for the Golden Gophers, who used a second-half rally to earn their first win at Penn State since 2018.

Ryan Langborg drilled back-to-back 3-pointers, the second with 5:55 left in regulation to put Northwestern up by nine, 54-46. The Wildcats did not make another basket until Langborg made a layup with 2:55 left in overtime.

Minnesota (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten) went on an 8-1 run to get within one, 55-54 with 1:40 left, and freshman Cam Christie took a kick-out pass from Elijah Hawkins with 41 seconds left and drilled a wide-open 3-pointer to give Minnesota a 59-58 lead. Hawkins added two free throws with :20 left in regulation to make it a 3-point lead, but Boo Buie hit 3 of 4 from the line to tie the game.

With game tied at 63 in overtime, Garcia drilled a 3-pointer to put the Gophers in front for good, then added to it by hitting 5 of 6 at the line. Pharrel Payne added an emphatic dunk with :38 left to put the game out of reach.

Minnesota missed its first 11 3-point attempts of the game, then knocked down 7 of 12 to fuel its comeback. Garcia finished with 20 points, hitting 9 of 11 from the line. Christie finished with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals and Payne added 14 points and nine rebounds. Hawkins had a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists and Mike Mitchell Jr. had 10 points.

Buie led Northwestern (15-7, 6-5) with 20 points, seven assists and four steals. Langborg had 16 points and Brooks Barnhizer added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Minnesota plays at Michigan State Tuesday. Northwestern plays at Nebraska Wednesday.

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