Free throw shooting, late game miscues cost Gophers in double OT against Ohio State

Minnesota came to play, but some late baffling decisions were too much to overcome.

Jan 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Isaac Asuma (1) controls the ball as Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) defends during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images / Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

Despite career-high performances from both Isaac Asuma and Parker Fox, a multitude of baffling late-game decisions and abysmal free-throw shooting cost the Gophers in an 89-88 loss to Ohio State in double overtime.

Ohio State came into Monday's contest ranked No. 27 in this latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, which gave the Gophers an opportunity to pick up their first Quad 1 win of the season.

Neither team brought their best game, specifically star Gophers forward Dawson Garcia, who was held scoreless in the first half on 0-6 shooting from the field and he never found his rhythm all night.

Parker Fox led all scorers with 11 points in the first half, which gave Minnesota a 28-27 advantage heading into the break. The Gophers limited Ohio State to 10-30 (33%) shooting from the field and showed that they could compete with the Buckeyes prompting some confidence throughout the roster.

It wasn't until the 14:08 mark in the second half when Garcia finally got on the board, but Asuma picked up the offensive slack. The Cherry, Minn. native looked like the best player on the floor all night.

Another Asuma Three 💥

The freshman has a career-high 12 PTS so far for @GopherMBB 👏#B1GMBBall on FS1 📺 pic.twitter.com/JKsJpMA9Tn

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 7, 2025

Minnesota took a seven-point lead with 5:59 to go in the second half, which was the biggest lead of entire the game. Ohio State fought all the way back to even the game at 64 with a potential three-point play and they had a chance to take the lead in regulation, but a late missed free throw gave the Gophers life and sent the game to overtime.

Garcia clearly did not look like himself all night and he fouled out in regulation. Ben Johnson opted to roll with a lineup of Asuma, Mike Mitchell Jr., Lu'Cye Patterson, Kadyn Betts and Fox for the entirety of both overtimes.

Right when it looked like the Gophers were going to close things up, Betts fouled an Ohio State player thinking they were up by three points instead of two. Ohio State drained both of its free throws sending things to double overtime. Minnesota looked completely gassed in the second overtime and opted to not make a single substitution, and the Buckeyes took advantage cruising to an 89-88 victory.

Fox led all scorers with a Gophers career-high 21 points, and Asuma added 18 more on impressive 7-11 shooting from the field. Ohio State gave Minnesota every chance to win, but a staggering 12-27 (44.4%) mark from the free throw line is the best to explain why they did not pick up a win.

Now 8-7 on the season Johnson will look to pick up his first win over Wisconsin as head coach of the Gophers on Friday night. Minnesota travels to Madison for a 6 p.m. CT tip-off.

---

Stay up to date on all things Gophers by bookmarking Minnesota Gophers On SI, subscribing to our YouTube Channel, and signing up to receive our free Gophers newsletter, which will enter you into a drawing for the EA College Gameday 25 video game (you choose between PS5 or Xbox).