Gophers narrowly avoid upset, escape with nonconference win over Omaha

Lu'Cye Patterson came up with a key stop late as the U was clinging to a narrow lead.

Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson reacts to a play during the first half of a second-round Big Ten tournament game at Target Center in Minneapolis on Thursday, March 14, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Things were not looking good for the Gophers men's basketball team.

Starting guard Mike Mitchell Jr. exited the game midway through the second half and was unable to put weight on his left leg as he was helped off the court. Dawson Garcia picked up his fourth foul as the Gophers were down a point with 8:54 left to play. It looked like the U could be in for a stunning upset in a game it was favored to win by more than 20 points.

The Gophers found themselves back on top and clinging to just a two-point lead with 40.2 seconds to play in the game. Lu'Cye Patterson altered JJ White's game-tying shot attempt in the paint, grabbed the rebound and was fouled, making two clutch free throws to put Minnesota up 68-64 with under 20 seconds to play. That was just enough.

Minnesota ultimately escaped with the 68-64 victory over Omaha at Williams Arena in Minneapolis Saturday afternoon.

Freshman guard Isaac Asuma hit a game-tying 3-pointer with just under six minutes to go, Trey Edmonds made a pair of free throws and Asuma helped generate a key turnover that turned into a massive transition dunk for Brennan Rigsby.

After trailing most of the game, the Gophers suddenly had a four-point lead with 4:37 to go. The Barn erupted.

It was a struggle offensively for much of the game for the Gophers (2-0), particularly when Garcia was off the court. Aside from Garcia, who finished with a game-high 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting and seven rebounds, Edmonds was the only other U player in double figures with 12 off the bench. Patterson finished with eight points, six boards and six assists.

The Gophers shot a respectable 46% from the field, but just 18% from 3-point distance. The U had 12 turnovers.

Omaha (2-1) featured a balanced scoring attack, with four players posting double figures, led by Kamryn Thomas' 14.

The Mavericks shot 41% from the field and won the rebounding battle 37-34, but they had 16 turnovers.

Along with Asuma, Femi Odukale was a bright spot for the Gophers off the bench. After tallying four steals in the season opener, he added two more Saturday afternoon. He had a pair of tip-in buckets in the first half for his four points, and he also contributed three assists, two rebounds and a block. Odukale made a number of effort plays throughout the game.