As the final seconds of overtime ticked off the clock, Lu’cye Patterson tossed the ball back to Dawson Garcia, finding his teammate just a few feet away from half court, standing near the top of the “M” logo.
Garcia had been calling his name. He wanted the ball in his hands as time expired. And for good reason.
“I trust him like he’s my brother, so it was was just a no brainer for me,” Patterson said.
Garcia rewarded Patterson’s faith in him, receiving the pass and heaving up a shot. He found nothing but net, setting off pandemonium inside Williams Arena. Garcia’s buzzer-beating three-pointer sent Minnesota to an 84-81 win over No. 20 Michigan, one of the Gophers’ most significant victories in recent memory.
“Just a lot of emotions, just how bad we wanted to win and seeing it come in a fashion like that and Cye trusting me to knock down that shot … I’m really just thankful for my teammates and God that I’m in that position,” Garcia said.
The win was the first over a ranked team in coach Ben Johnson’s tenure, which began in 2021.
It was a shocking win for a team that entered the day 0-6 in conference play. But for Johnson, even as the Big Ten losses have piled up, the signs of improvement have been there.
“I’ve been telling people that we’re getting better and nobody probably believes me. I’ve been telling people that we’re this close,” he said, pinching his fingers together, “And nobody probably believes me, my players included, and I’ve had a great feeling about the direction.”
It’s been painful getting to this point, but those losses have hardened his team, Johnson said, allowing Minnesota to come out victorious on Thursday.
Garcia, who has been through it all with the Gophers, made two clutch free throws to send the game to overtime in the first place before his late heroics.
Minnesota’s top scorer led the team with 27 points, backed by 22 from Patterson, including 15 in the second half alone to help push the game to OT, and 20 from Mike Mitchell Jr.
“That dude deserves this. He deserves this shot,” Johnson said of Garcia. “He deserves the opportunity to make that shot. He is everything this program is about.”
The buzzer beater, which came after Michigan’s Danny Wolf made a layup to even the game up with just seven seconds left, came after the Gophers hung tough through a tense final few minutes of regulation, as well.
With 50 seconds left in the second half, Patterson’s three-pointer gave Minnesota a one-point lead. But that was followed up by a costly turnover by Isaac Asuma while trying to inbound the ball 14 seconds later.
Michigan capitalized with a Wolf three to regain the advantage before Garcia came through at the line, nailing both of his free throws. Michigan’s last-ditch attempt in regulation fell short, setting the Gophers up for their overtime victory, which ignited a court storming at The Barn.
“To my guys’ credit, they have never wavered, they have never blinked, they have never doubted,” Johnson said. “They have never listened to any outside noise and I’m just happy that they finally get rewarded for all the work that goes unseen that they do.”
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