Minnesota holds onto beat Nebraska 78-75, and advances to face Maryland
Ben Johnson's program continues to put together strong performances here at the end of the 2022-2023 season, as on Wednesday night, the Gophers defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 78-75 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
In an effort reminiscent of their loss to Wisconsin on Sunday, the Gophers found themselves with a double-digit lead in the second half and watched it slip away. However, unlike Sunday, the Gophers were able to close out their opponent this time, and pick up their second win in their last three games.
Dawson Garcia led all Gophers with 18 points, while Ta'Lon Cooper, Jaden Henley, and Jamison Battle all contributed double-digit efforts of their own.
It was a forgettable start of the game for the Gophers as Nebraska would jump out to an early 8-0 lead in the first four and a half minutes. Two Ta'Lon Cooper free throws would finally break Nebraska's early run and allow the Gophers to settle down; they would score nine of the next 11 points, cutting it to a 10-9 deficit with just over 12 minutes remaining in the half.
After tying the game up on a Dawson Garcia layup with 10:45 remaining, the Gophers would begin to find their true flow; they would pick up the lead for the first time just a little over a minute later on a Jamison Battle layup and would never look back.
Thanks to a strong first-half shooting, hitting 14-of-26 shots, the Gophers took a 37-33 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Gophers quickly grew their 37-33 lead to 50-39 within the first four minutes of the half, as it looked like they may run away with the game. Nebraska, one of the hottest teams entering the tournament, would not go down quietly, slowly chipping away at the Gophers' lead.
By the halfway point of the second half, Nebraska cut the once 11-point lead for the Gophers down to just six at 58-52. It would be a high scoring final 10 minutes of action with both teams, which included a combined 23 free throw attempts.
While Nebraska would continue to cut the deficit, getting it as far down as a one-point game, the Gophers would never relinquish the lead in the second half. For a team that has struggled to hit free throws throughout the season, the Cornhuskers tried to force the Gophers to win the game at the line.
In the game's final four minutes, the Gophers were sent to the line 14 times, making 10-of-14 attempts, including 4-of-6 in the final 20 seconds of action. Nebraska would get an opportunity to hit a game-winner with just one-second remaining. Still, it would bounce off the rim, ending the Cornhuskers Big Ten tournament run before it started while allowing the Gophers to move onto the second round.
For the game, the Gophers shot 51.9% from the field, including 41.7% from beyond the arc. They also outrebounded the Cornhuskers 33-28 for the game.
The win improves Minnesota's record to 9-21 and 3-18 in conference play. The Gophers will take on the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday evening. While an exact tip-off time is unknown, the best estimates will be around 8:00 p.m.
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