University of Minnesota Athletics
Thursday, February 22
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
17-9,8-7Big Ten
88
vs
79
Ohio State
15-12,5-11Big Ten
1
2
F
Ohio St.
34
45
79
Minnesota
42
46
88
Team Stats
OSU
MINN
FG%
.509
.500
3FG%
.304
.421
FT%
.778
.774
RB
26
32
TO
11
9
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
8
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Kelly Hagenson
Hawkins Scores Career-Best in 88-79 Win Over Ohio State
2/22/2024 10:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Elijah Hawkins scored a career-high 24 points and led Minnesota (17-9, 8-7 Big Ten) with seven assists, and Dawson Garcia had 22 points and a team-high nine rebounds, as the Gophers recorded an 88-79 win over Ohio State (15-12, 5-11 Big Ten) at Williams Arena.
Hawkins, who leads the nation in assists per game, was 6-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, and 8-of-11 at the free throw line to finish with his career-best point total. He had previously scored 23 points on two occasions during his first two seasons at Howard University. Garcia was 8-of-15 from the field, and his nine boards helped the Gophers to a 32-26 rebounding advantage. Pharrel Payne added 15 points and four rebounds, Parker Fox had nine points and four boards, and Mike Mitchell Jr. finished with eight points and five assists for Minnesota, which split the season series with OSU.
Minnesota opened the game 7-of-7 from the field, including three-pointers by Mitchell Jr. (2), Garcia, and Hawkins to establish a 19-9 lead at the first media timeout. The Gophers extended their lead to 22-9 before an 8-0 OSU run trimmed it to 22-17 with 12:29 left in the half, but Hawkins ended the run with a layup for a seven-point lead. Minnesota led 26-17 when Hawkins beat the shot clock and lobbed an alley-oop to a flying Fox. The Buckeyes pulled to within 26-23, but Hawkins hit a short jumper and Payne dunked on a putback to give the Gophers a 30-23 edge with 7:02 remaining. A 7-0 run by the Buckeyes tied the score at 30-30, but Payne scored six points as the Gophers closed the half on a 12-4 run for a 42-34 halftime lead. Garcia led Minnesota with 12 points and six rebounds at the half, while Payne had 10 points and three boards and Hawkins added seven points and four assists. The Gophers made 16-of-30 (.533) field goals and had an 18-9 rebounding advantage after 20 minutes.
The Gophers pushed the lead to double-digits early in the second half, as Payne went 3-of-4 at the free throw line and Hawkins drained back-to-back three-pointers for a 53-41 lead. Ohio State cut it to 53-46, but Garcia scored on a floater in the lane to keep the Gophers up by nine. The Gophers led 57-50, but Hawkins hit his fourth three-pointer of the night, and then found Cam Christie for his first three of the night and a 63-50 lead with 8:53 left to force an OSU timeout. Fox connected on a pair of free throws for a 15-point lead, and a dunk by Payne put the Gophers up 67-51 with 7:44 left. Braeden Carrington's three-point play made it 72-55, but a 13-5 OSU run got the Buckeyes within nine points at 77-68. Hawkins went 7-of-8 at the line in the final two minutes and found Garcia for a layup to help secure the nine-point win.
The Gophers wound up shooting 50 percent from the field by making 28-of-56 attempts, including 8-of-19 (.421) from three-point range, and they were 24-of-31 (.774) at the free throw line.
Minnesota travels to Lincoln, Neb., for a 5:30 p.m. CDT tipoff versus Nebraska on Sunday, Feb. 25, on Big Ten Network.
Hawkins, who leads the nation in assists per game, was 6-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, and 8-of-11 at the free throw line to finish with his career-best point total. He had previously scored 23 points on two occasions during his first two seasons at Howard University. Garcia was 8-of-15 from the field, and his nine boards helped the Gophers to a 32-26 rebounding advantage. Pharrel Payne added 15 points and four rebounds, Parker Fox had nine points and four boards, and Mike Mitchell Jr. finished with eight points and five assists for Minnesota, which split the season series with OSU.
Minnesota opened the game 7-of-7 from the field, including three-pointers by Mitchell Jr. (2), Garcia, and Hawkins to establish a 19-9 lead at the first media timeout. The Gophers extended their lead to 22-9 before an 8-0 OSU run trimmed it to 22-17 with 12:29 left in the half, but Hawkins ended the run with a layup for a seven-point lead. Minnesota led 26-17 when Hawkins beat the shot clock and lobbed an alley-oop to a flying Fox. The Buckeyes pulled to within 26-23, but Hawkins hit a short jumper and Payne dunked on a putback to give the Gophers a 30-23 edge with 7:02 remaining. A 7-0 run by the Buckeyes tied the score at 30-30, but Payne scored six points as the Gophers closed the half on a 12-4 run for a 42-34 halftime lead. Garcia led Minnesota with 12 points and six rebounds at the half, while Payne had 10 points and three boards and Hawkins added seven points and four assists. The Gophers made 16-of-30 (.533) field goals and had an 18-9 rebounding advantage after 20 minutes.
The Gophers pushed the lead to double-digits early in the second half, as Payne went 3-of-4 at the free throw line and Hawkins drained back-to-back three-pointers for a 53-41 lead. Ohio State cut it to 53-46, but Garcia scored on a floater in the lane to keep the Gophers up by nine. The Gophers led 57-50, but Hawkins hit his fourth three-pointer of the night, and then found Cam Christie for his first three of the night and a 63-50 lead with 8:53 left to force an OSU timeout. Fox connected on a pair of free throws for a 15-point lead, and a dunk by Payne put the Gophers up 67-51 with 7:44 left. Braeden Carrington's three-point play made it 72-55, but a 13-5 OSU run got the Buckeyes within nine points at 77-68. Hawkins went 7-of-8 at the line in the final two minutes and found Garcia for a layup to help secure the nine-point win.
The Gophers wound up shooting 50 percent from the field by making 28-of-56 attempts, including 8-of-19 (.421) from three-point range, and they were 24-of-31 (.774) at the free throw line.
Minnesota travels to Lincoln, Neb., for a 5:30 p.m. CDT tipoff versus Nebraska on Sunday, Feb. 25, on Big Ten Network.
Highlights: Gophers 80, NDSU 54
Thursday, October 16
Behind the Scenes: B1G Media Day
Monday, October 13
2025 Super Block Party
Monday, October 13
Asuma & Crocker-Johnson at B1G Media Day
Thursday, October 09