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 forward Pharrel Payne (21) celebrates after a dunk during overtime of an NCAA college basketball game against Northwestern, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, in Minneapolis. Credit: AP/Abbie Parr
Minnesota…
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