MINNEAPOLIS — Tyler Harris led the Washington Huskies with 23 points, while Great Osobor contributed 16 points and secured 10 rebounds, helping Washington stave off a second-half surge from Minnesota to win the game 71-68 on Saturday.

This victory marked the Huskies’ second win against a power conference opponent this season (11-10, 2-8 Big Ten) and ended a frustrating six-game losing streak.

Dawson Garcia was a standout for the Golden Gophers, scoring 23 points after the halftime break. He was particularly dominant during one stretch in the second half where he single-handedly tallied 16 points, during which time he was the only Minnesota player able to score for his team for nearly eight minutes. Garcia hit a free throw to bring the game into a 64-64 tie with just 2:44 left on the clock.

Following Garcia’s free throw, Osobor responded by putting three points on the board for Washington. Subsequently, Garcia managed to score in the paint again, narrowing the lead to 67-66 with only 12 seconds remaining. Washington’s DJ Davis then added two free shots to increase the lead to 69-66 with nine seconds to go, and Mekhi Mason furthered the margin with two more from the line, bringing the score to 71-66. Garcia’s dunk with two seconds left closed out the game.

In addition to Harris and Osobor, Zoom Diallo contributed 11 points for Washington, while Mason added 10 points to the team total. Garcia finished the game with an impressive 28 points on 9 of 12 shooting, including 2 of 3 from long range and 8 of 12 from the free-throw line. Femi Odukale also scored 10 points for Minnesota (11-11, 3-8).

The Huskies began to pull away with a 9-0 run, highlighted by a jumper and a three-pointer from Harris, giving them a 31-23 lead with six minutes left in the first half. Although Minnesota managed to shrink the deficit to four points, Washington responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Harris and Mason, ending the first half with a score of 40-30.

During the first half, Harris was particularly effective, notching 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting, including three successful three-pointers out of three attempts.

Minnesota now looks ahead to their upcoming game against Penn State on Tuesday, while Washington will return to Seattle to face Nebraska on Wednesday.