University of Minnesota Athletics
Monday, November 21
San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
9:30 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
California Baptist
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Kelly Hagenson
Gophers Set to Play California Baptist in SoCal Challenge
11/20/2022 2:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: CBS Sports Network (Alex Del Barrio - pbp, Tim Doyle, analyst)
Tip Time: 9:35 p.m. CT (potential 5-min slide for tv)
Radio: Learfield IMG: KFAN 100.3 FM
Sirius: XM - 387, App: 977
SERIES INFORMATION
1st Meeting In School History
Gophers All-Time vs. WAC: 6-0
* - excludes vacated games
STARTING FIVE
• The University of Minnesota men's basketball team hits the road for the first time this 2022-23 season when it travels to San Juan Capistrano, Calif., as a part of the SoCal Challenge, Nov. 21 and 23. The Golden Gophers are a part of the "Surf" Division and will take on California Baptist, Nov. 21 at 9:30 p.m., CT. Competition will be played at the Pavilion at JSerra. The Gophers will again play on Nov. 23. Time and opponent (either Southern Illinois or UNLV) to be determined based on Monday's results.
• The last time the Golden Gophers competed in a tournament was 2021-22 and also marked the first under head coach Ben Johnson. The Gophers earned the inaugural Asheville Championship when they defeated Western Kentucky and Princeton, Nov. 12 and 14, 2021 in Asheville, N.C. Payton Willis was named the MVP of the tournament when he scored 29 points alone in the championship game. Jamison Battle also contributed 24 and an all-tournament selection.
• Minnesota is playing California Baptist for the first time in program history. It marks the third time already this season the Gophers have played their opponent for the first time in school history. The other two were Western Michigan and St. Francis Brooklyn.
• The Gophers are competing in the Golden State for the first time since the 2012-13 season when Minnesota defeated Southern California, 71-57, on Dec. 8, 2012. Ranked No. 14 at the time, the Gophers were led by Andre Hollins with 14 points as four players scored in double figures. The last time the Gophers faced a team hailing from California was Loyola Marymount in 2020-21 when it visited Minneapolis for back-to-back games.
• Minnesota has three team connections with the state of California. Freshman Jaden Henley hails from Ontario, Calif., while Taurus Samuels is from Oceanside, Calif. Assistant coach Marcus Jenkins is also a California native, hailing from Lompoc. The Golden Gophers also signed 2023 commit Dennis Evans, who hails out of Riverside, Calif.
LAST TIME OUT
• Minnesota wrapped up a four-game season-opening homestand with a 68-60 win versus Central Michigan (1-2) at Williams Arena Thursday. Dawson Garcia led Minnesota (3-1) with 17 points and seven rebounds, Ta'Lon Cooper had 12 points and eight assists, and Braeden Carrington came off the bench to reach double-figures for the first time with 11 points. Nine Minnesota players appeared in the game, and all nine scored at least three points for the Gophers.
SETTING IT UP
• Ta'Lon Cooper has picked up where he left off last year in assists. The Roebuck, S.C., product ranks second in the Big Ten in assists and third assists per games through the first four contests of the season. Cooper's 30 assists ranks fifth nationally, while his 7.5 per game is 11th. Dawson Garcia ranks second in the Big Ten in overall points (70), free throws (18) and free throw attempts (26), field goal attempts (52) and fifth in FGs made (23).
ABOUT CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
• California Baptist is coming off a 73-64 upset win over Washington, also on Thursday night. It was the Lancers' first-ever victory over a PAC-12 opponent or any Power 5 school in program history. CBU's sole loss of the season came against Long Beach State in the season opener, 79-64.
• 2022 WAC Freshman of the Year Taran Armstrong scored 18 points in the Washington win and added five rebounds and six assists. He averages 14 points per game, while teammate Joe Quintana averages a team-best 14.7 per game. Quintana is a 5th-year senior who previously played at Loyola Marymount. Utah grad transfer Riley Battin leads the team in rebound as he averages 7.5 a game. Tim Ighoefe has 10 blocks this season.
• As a team, CBU averages 64.5 points per game, is shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 30.2 from the arc. The Lancers average 34.5 rebounds and allows 60.25 points per game.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
• Coach Johnson named his captains for the 2022-23 season: Jamison Battle, Ta'Lon Cooper, Dawson Garcia and Taurus Samuels. The honor marks the first of their collegiate careers for Battle and Garcia and the second for Cooper and Samuels as they were named captains at Morehead State and Dartmouth.
TV: CBS Sports Network (Alex Del Barrio - pbp, Tim Doyle, analyst)
Tip Time: 9:35 p.m. CT (potential 5-min slide for tv)
Radio: Learfield IMG: KFAN 100.3 FM
Sirius: XM - 387, App: 977
SERIES INFORMATION
1st Meeting In School History
Gophers All-Time vs. WAC: 6-0
* - excludes vacated games
STARTING FIVE
• The University of Minnesota men's basketball team hits the road for the first time this 2022-23 season when it travels to San Juan Capistrano, Calif., as a part of the SoCal Challenge, Nov. 21 and 23. The Golden Gophers are a part of the "Surf" Division and will take on California Baptist, Nov. 21 at 9:30 p.m., CT. Competition will be played at the Pavilion at JSerra. The Gophers will again play on Nov. 23. Time and opponent (either Southern Illinois or UNLV) to be determined based on Monday's results.
• The last time the Golden Gophers competed in a tournament was 2021-22 and also marked the first under head coach Ben Johnson. The Gophers earned the inaugural Asheville Championship when they defeated Western Kentucky and Princeton, Nov. 12 and 14, 2021 in Asheville, N.C. Payton Willis was named the MVP of the tournament when he scored 29 points alone in the championship game. Jamison Battle also contributed 24 and an all-tournament selection.
• Minnesota is playing California Baptist for the first time in program history. It marks the third time already this season the Gophers have played their opponent for the first time in school history. The other two were Western Michigan and St. Francis Brooklyn.
• The Gophers are competing in the Golden State for the first time since the 2012-13 season when Minnesota defeated Southern California, 71-57, on Dec. 8, 2012. Ranked No. 14 at the time, the Gophers were led by Andre Hollins with 14 points as four players scored in double figures. The last time the Gophers faced a team hailing from California was Loyola Marymount in 2020-21 when it visited Minneapolis for back-to-back games.
• Minnesota has three team connections with the state of California. Freshman Jaden Henley hails from Ontario, Calif., while Taurus Samuels is from Oceanside, Calif. Assistant coach Marcus Jenkins is also a California native, hailing from Lompoc. The Golden Gophers also signed 2023 commit Dennis Evans, who hails out of Riverside, Calif.
LAST TIME OUT
• Minnesota wrapped up a four-game season-opening homestand with a 68-60 win versus Central Michigan (1-2) at Williams Arena Thursday. Dawson Garcia led Minnesota (3-1) with 17 points and seven rebounds, Ta'Lon Cooper had 12 points and eight assists, and Braeden Carrington came off the bench to reach double-figures for the first time with 11 points. Nine Minnesota players appeared in the game, and all nine scored at least three points for the Gophers.
SETTING IT UP
• Ta'Lon Cooper has picked up where he left off last year in assists. The Roebuck, S.C., product ranks second in the Big Ten in assists and third assists per games through the first four contests of the season. Cooper's 30 assists ranks fifth nationally, while his 7.5 per game is 11th. Dawson Garcia ranks second in the Big Ten in overall points (70), free throws (18) and free throw attempts (26), field goal attempts (52) and fifth in FGs made (23).
ABOUT CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
• California Baptist is coming off a 73-64 upset win over Washington, also on Thursday night. It was the Lancers' first-ever victory over a PAC-12 opponent or any Power 5 school in program history. CBU's sole loss of the season came against Long Beach State in the season opener, 79-64.
• 2022 WAC Freshman of the Year Taran Armstrong scored 18 points in the Washington win and added five rebounds and six assists. He averages 14 points per game, while teammate Joe Quintana averages a team-best 14.7 per game. Quintana is a 5th-year senior who previously played at Loyola Marymount. Utah grad transfer Riley Battin leads the team in rebound as he averages 7.5 a game. Tim Ighoefe has 10 blocks this season.
• As a team, CBU averages 64.5 points per game, is shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 30.2 from the arc. The Lancers average 34.5 rebounds and allows 60.25 points per game.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
• Coach Johnson named his captains for the 2022-23 season: Jamison Battle, Ta'Lon Cooper, Dawson Garcia and Taurus Samuels. The honor marks the first of their collegiate careers for Battle and Garcia and the second for Cooper and Samuels as they were named captains at Morehead State and Dartmouth.
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