North Texas leads Minnesota most of the way, holds off Golden Gophers 54-51 to move to 3-0

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – North Texas remained undefeated after a thrilling 54-51 win over Minnesota on Wednesday night, with Rondel Walker leading the charge by scoring 14 points. The Mean Green controlled much of the game and held off a late Minnesota surge to seal the victory.

Minnesota mounted a comeback late in the game, fueled by Dawson Garcia, who scored six points during an 8-2 run to bring the Gophers within one at 52-51 with just 30 seconds remaining. On the next possession, Isaac Asuma made a crucial block on Brenen Lorient’s layup attempt, but Lu’Cye Patterson’s contested 3-point shot bounced off the rim. Johnathan Massie grabbed the rebound for North Texas, giving the Mean Green a chance to close it out.

After a timeout with 3 seconds left, Lorient sealed the win with a dunk, while Patterson’s desperation heave from midcourt came up short, clanging off the backboard. Lorient finished with nine points to help secure the victory.

Garcia was the standout for Minnesota, scoring 24 points on 6-of-9 shooting and hitting all 10 of his free-throw attempts. He entered the game just three points shy of reaching 1,000 career points with the Golden Gophers, becoming the first to do so since Daniel Oturu in 2020. Garcia now has 1,516 career points overall.

Despite Garcia’s efforts, Minnesota struggled with shooting, finishing the game at just 31% (15-of-38) from the field. The Gophers also committed 13 turnovers and missed seven free throws (15-of-22). Patterson, who had a rough shooting night, finished with nine points but shot just 3-of-14 from the field.

Minnesota’s shooting woes were evident in the first half, where they made only 14% of their shots, hitting just 3-of-21 attempts. The Gophers trailed 23-14 at halftime, having gone nearly 12 minutes without a field goal. Brennan Rigsby’s 3-pointer at the 15:41 mark gave Minnesota its only lead of the game, 43-42, with 7:27 remaining, but North Texas responded with clutch plays down the stretch to secure the win.

This was the first-ever meeting between the two teams.