MINNEAPOLIS — In a closely contested matchup, North Texas maintained its unbeaten streak by narrowly defeating Minnesota 54-51 on Wednesday evening. Rondel Walker was instrumental for the Mean Green, contributing 14 points throughout the game, as the team controlled the lead for a significant portion of the contest.
The Gophers made a late push, sparked by Dawson Garcia, who scored six points during an 8-2 run that brought Minnesota within one at 52-51 with only 30 seconds remaining. Defensive efforts from Isaac Asuma halted a layup attempt by Brenen Lorient on the following possession. However, Lu’Cye Patterson’s attempt at a 3-pointer did not connect, and Johnathan Massie secured the rebound for North Texas.
After a brief timeout called by North Texas with just three seconds on the clock, Lorient delivered a dunk to add to their score. Patterson’s last-second shot from midcourt bounced off the backboard, sealing the game for the Mean Green.
Lorient made key contributions as well, scoring nine points as part of the team’s effort. On the other end, Garcia led Minnesota with a strong performance, shooting 6 of 9 from the field and successfully sinking all 10 of his free throws to total 24 points. He entered the game needing only three points to reach 1,000 career points with the Golden Gophers, becoming the first player to do so since Daniel Oturu in 2020. Overall, Garcia has accumulated 1,516 points in his college career.
The Gophers struggled offensively, shooting just 15-of-38 (31%) and turning the ball over 13 times while failing to convert on seven of their free-throw opportunities, finishing at 15 of 22. Patterson added nine points but had a challenging night, going 3 of 14 from the floor.
In a lackluster first half, Minnesota could only manage a dismal 14% shooting rate—hitting just 3 of 21 shots—entering halftime down 23-14. The only lead for Minnesota came at the 7:27 mark of the second half, when Rigsby knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Gophers ahead 43-42.
This meeting marked the first time these two teams faced each other on the court.