The Minnesota Men's Basketball program finally got back into the win column on Wednesday night with a 72-56 win over the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions. The much-needed win snaps a five-game losing streak for Ben Johnson's program and moves them to 5-6 on the season.
The Gophers in the game was led by freshman guard Ben Johnson, the reigning Mr. Minnesota broke out in a big way, scoring 20 points off the bench, shooting 5-for-9 from the floor including 4-for-7 from deep. He also recorded four rebounds in his 29 minutes on the court.
Junior forward Jamison Battle also had a big night, shooting 6-for-13 from the floor including 5-for-9 from the perimeter, totaling 18 points. He also had four rebounds, four assists, and four steals in the game. Since 2010, Battle is the only Gopher to record such a statline.
One last notable performance came from sophomore forward Dawson Garcia who totaled 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one steal, and two blocks.
In the game, the Golden Lions would keep it close for the first 10 minutes of the first half. With 9:23 remaining in the first half, the game was tied 16-16. However, from that point, on the Gophers' would put together a 20-9 run to take a 36-25 lead into halftime. The second half was a much closer one from start to finish, with the Gophers only outscoring Arkansas-Pine Bluff 36-31 over the final 20 minutes.
As a team, the Gophers had one of their better shooting nights of the season, shooting 48.9% from the field and 44.4% (12-for-27) from deep. They were also 14-for-18 from the free-throw line. Ball movement was key for the Gophers' throughout the evening, looking for their best shot opportunities. On their 47 buckets, the Gophers totaled 21 assists. They also totaled seven steals and seven blocks in the win.
Now back in the win column, the Gophers will look to finish off the calendar year strong, as they should. They have Chicago State coming up next Thursday and then Alcorn State on the 29th. Combined Chicago State and Alcorn State this season are 6-13 this season.
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