Golden Gophers Unleashed: A Dive into U of M Athletics

Parker Fox achieved a season-best 21 points, Lu’Cye Patterson contributed 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Isaac Asuma and Mike Mitchell Jr. each added 18 points. However, Minnesota (8-7, 0-4 Big Ten) suffered a devastating 89-88 defeat in double overtime against Ohio State at Williams Arena.
                                                                                                                                      
Fox successfully made 8-of-12 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws, marking his highest scoring game with the Gophers following his transfer from Northern State. He also recorded five rebounds and two blocked shots during his 40 minutes on the court. Patterson played 48 of the 50 minutes, successfully completing 8-of-18 field goals, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Freshman Asuma emerged from the bench to make 7-of-11 field goals, with 3-of-4 three-pointers, concluding with a season-high of 18 points, alongside four rebounds and three assists. Meanwhile, Mitchell Jr. netted four three-pointers in his 18-point performance, contributing four assists and three rebounds.

 

Minnesota achieved 32-of-70 (.457) field goals, including 12-of-29 (.414) three-pointers, but only managed 12-of-27 (.444) at the free throw line. Ohio State (10-5, 2-2 B1G) was propelled by Devin Royals with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Bruce Thornton chipped in 18 points. The Buckeyes completed 27-of-63 (.429) field goals, incorporating 6-of-22 (.273) three-pointers, and excelled at the line with 29-of-33 (.879). Minnesota maintained a narrow 43-42 advantage in rebounds.

 

Fox initiated the scoring for the Gophers with the first seven points, followed by Mitchell Jr. sinking a three-pointer, giving Minnesota a 10-8 edge at the first media timeout. The Buckeyes edged ahead by a point momentarily with a corner three-pointer, but Asuma and Patterson quickly restored a 14-11 lead for the Gophers. Ohio State then went on a 7-2 scoring spree to capture an 18-16 advantage with 8:56 remaining, but Fox equalized with a layup. After Ohio State established a 22-18 lead, Patterson responded with a layup, and Femi Odukale (five points, four rebounds) sunk a corner three, putting the Gophers back ahead at 23-22 with 4:34 left in the first half. Ohio State’s 5-0 run returned them to a 27-23 lead, but Asuma responded with a three-pointer in front of the Buckeyes’ bench, and Fox scored with a baseline dunk, allowing Minnesota to take a 28-27 lead into halftime.

 

Fox led the Gophers with 11 points by the end of the first half, while Asuma secured seven points, and Patterson contributed four. Despite the Gophers maintaining the lead, their top scorer, Dawson Garcia, was yet to score, and second-leading scorer Mitchell Jr. had only three points at the break. Minnesota made 12-of-31 (.387) field goals, out of which 3-of-12 were three-pointers, while holding a 22-18 edge in rebounds. The Buckeyes were led by Devin Royal with eight points, as Ohio State was restricted to 10-of-30 (.333) field goals, including just 3-of-15 (.200) from three-point range.

 

At the start of the second half, Ohio State scored the first four points to grab a 31-28 advantage, but the Gophers quickly retaliated with a 7-2 run, punctuated by a three-point play from Mitchell Jr. to lead 35-33. Following a shift in momentum, Ohio State took the lead at 37-35, leading to six lead changes. Garcia, Asuma, and Patterson each drained three-pointers in response to the Buckeyes’ scoring. A 5-0 run by Ohio State saw them ahead 47-44 with 11:28 left, but Patterson netted a layup, Mitchell Jr. hit Minnesota’s fourth three-pointer of the half, and Asuma added a basket in the lane to propel the Gophers to a 51-47 lead, prompting an Ohio State timeout. At that juncture, the Gophers had made 8-of-12 shots, including 4-of-5 from deep range, in the second half.

 

The Buckeyes managed to narrow the lead to two points on two occasions, but Mitchell Jr. connected on a corner three-pointer, extending Minnesota’s lead to 56-51 with 6:35 left. Then, Asuma’s trey marked the largest lead for Minnesota at 59-52. Ohio State responded by cutting the Gophers’ lead to 59-56, prompting head coach Ben Johnson to call a timeout with 4:29 remaining. A putback layup from Fox brought Minnesota to a 61-56 advantage, but Ohio State quickly scored four consecutive points to reduce the gap to one with 2:37 remaining. A free throw from Mitchell Jr. put the Gophers ahead 62-60, yet OSU tied the game with a layup at 2:02. Following two missed free throws from Garcia at 1:43, Fox created a steal, allowing Garcia to secure a breakaway dunk, giving Minnesota a 64-62 lead with 1:24 on the clock. During Minnesota’s next possession, a turnover occurred, and OSU seemingly made a three-pointer to take the lead with less than 20 seconds remaining; however, OSU coach Jake Diebler’s timeout nullified that made shot. Devin Royal finished with a dunk and was fouled with 5.3 seconds remaining, but he missed the subsequent free throw, and the Buckeyes were unable to score on two attempts in the last seconds, pushing the game into overtime. The foul at five seconds proved detrimental for the Gophers, as Garcia fouled out with five points and six rebounds.

 

The Gophers initiated OT with a 6-2 run, including four points from Patterson, taking a 70-66 lead with 1:42 left. The Buckeyes trimmed the deficit to 70-68, but Fox hit a baseline fallaway jumper at 0:59 to extend the Gophers’ lead back to four points. Following a pair of free throws from OSU, the margin narrowed to 72-70 with 0:44 remaining, and Minnesota recorded a turnover with 23.5 seconds on the clock.

 

The Buckeyes reciprocated by handing the ball back to the Gophers with 14 seconds left, and Asuma drew a foul on the inbounds pass. He converted the second of two free throws with 0:09 remaining, allowing the Gophers to lead 73-70, but the Buckeyes managed three free throws, allowing the game to advance to a second overtime.

 

Ohio State swiftly obtained a six-point advantage at the start of the second overtime, converting a three-pointer and executing a three-point play, then adding a layup to take it to 81-73. Mitchell Jr. responded with a jumper, cutting the lead back to six, but OSU increased it to 83-75 with a pair of free throws. Fox netted a layup, while both Kadyn Betts (one point, two rebounds) and Patterson each converted a free throw, bringing Minnesota within 83-79. Ohio State completed all six of their free throw attempts in the final thirty seconds, overshadowing two three-pointers from Patterson and another from Mitchell Jr., allowing the Buckeyes to secure a narrow 89-88 victory.

 

Minnesota will embark on its next two matches on the road, starting with a visit to Madison for a Border Battle confrontation against Wisconsin on Friday, Jan. 10, at 6:00 p.m. on Peacock.