University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, March 2
2:15 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Penn State
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Back at Home for Senior Day Saturday
3/1/2024 8:09:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SERIES INFORMATION*
47th Meeting (31-15 all time)
Minnesota Home Record vs. Penn State: 16-4
Gophers All-Time vs. Big Ten: 795-909
* - excludes vacated games
STARTING FIVE
• The Minnesota men's basketball team returns to Williams Arena after a two-game hiatus Saturday when the Golden Gophers host the Penn State Nittany Lions. Game time is set for 2:15 p.m., televised on Big Ten Network and broadcast on KFAN 100.3 FM. Saturday marks senior day for the Golden Gophers. Minnesota will honor its graduating seniors in a post-game celebration with their families in attendance.
• Minnesota is 31-15 all-time against PSU and 16-4 at Williams Arena. It marks the second time the Gophers will face PSU this season, the first coming at Penn State on Jan. 27 in State College. Minnesota won 83-74 over the Nittany Lions as five Gophers scored in double figures. Dawson Garcia had 22 points, followed by Cam Christie with 17, Joshua Ola-Joseph with 14 and Mike Mitchell Jr., and Parker Fox with 11. Pharrel Payne sat that game out due to injury. The Gophers shot 53.8 percent in that game.
• Minnesota is coming off a 105-97 juggernaut loss at No. 13 Illinois Wednesday night. All five starters reached double-figures, led by Dawson Garcia's game-high 29 points and a career-high 23 from Cam Christie. Both teams shot 60 percent, with 20 lead changes and six ties. Both teams combined for just nine turnovers in the game, as Minnesota had five and Illinois committed four.
• Elijah Hawkins added a double-double Wednesday at Illinois when he produced 10 points and 12 assists. His single-season assist total is now at 203, four shy of tying Marcus Carr's program record 207 he set in 2019-20. Hawkins also reached his 1,000th career point Sunday at Nebraska. Scoring a career-high 24 points in the Ohio State win, nine at Nebraska, and 10 at Illinois, Hawkins now sits at 1,011 career points. As a Gopher, Hawkins has 247 points and 764 points in his two-year tenure at Howard.
• Cam Christie notched a career-best 23 points in the loss at Illinois Wednesday. That marked the second-highest single-game scoring by a freshman this year. Only Gavin Griffiths of Rutgers, who scored 25 in the nonconference season against Boston University, produced more in a single game. Christie had a career-high six threes Wednesday and tied threes attempted at nine. He ranks second in scoring, averaging 11.6 points per game.
LAST GAME RECAP
• Minnesota dropped a 105-97 offensive battle at No. 13 Illinois Wednesday night. The teams combined for 202 points, and there were 20 lead changes and six ties in the game. The Gophers were 14 of 20 (.700) from a three-point range. The 14 three-pointers tied for fourth-most in a single game, and the 70 percent figure is fourth-best in Minnesota history (min. eight attempts).
• Dawson Garcia scored 29 points when he made 12 of 23 field goals, scoring 20 or more points for the 10th time this season. All five starters scored double digits, while Elijah Hawkins had a point/assist double-double.
ABOUT PENN STATE
• Penn State is 14-15 overall this season and 8-10 in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions have won their past two of three but dropped their last game at Iowa Tuesday night 90-81.
• Penn State lost its leading scorer Kanye Clary, who was dismissed from the team. However, PSU has gone 2-2 since his departure, including a home win against then-No. 12 Illinois. Penn State's starting lineup consists of three juniors, a senior, and a fifth-year senior, who all transferred to the program this year. Ace Baldwin Jr. averages 14.1 points and ranks second nationally in steals per game with 81. Qudus Wahab averages 9.5 points and 7.6 rebounds, which ranks seventh in the league. Nick Kern and Zach Hicks average 8.8 and 8.2 points respectively.
• As a team, Penn State averages 75.8 and allows 74.5. The Nittany Lions are shooting 44.3 percent from the field, while its opponents are shooting 46 percent against them. PSU's three-point defense only allows its opponents to shoot 31.1 percent. The Nittany Lions are shooting 73.6 from the charity stripe and 31.6 rebounds.
ON THE DOCKET
• Minnesota closes out its home schedule when it hosts Indiana March 6 at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network .
• Mike Grimm and Al Nolen will provide the radio broadcast on KFAN 100.3 FM.
47th Meeting (31-15 all time)
Minnesota Home Record vs. Penn State: 16-4
Gophers All-Time vs. Big Ten: 795-909
* - excludes vacated games
STARTING FIVE
• The Minnesota men's basketball team returns to Williams Arena after a two-game hiatus Saturday when the Golden Gophers host the Penn State Nittany Lions. Game time is set for 2:15 p.m., televised on Big Ten Network and broadcast on KFAN 100.3 FM. Saturday marks senior day for the Golden Gophers. Minnesota will honor its graduating seniors in a post-game celebration with their families in attendance.
• Minnesota is 31-15 all-time against PSU and 16-4 at Williams Arena. It marks the second time the Gophers will face PSU this season, the first coming at Penn State on Jan. 27 in State College. Minnesota won 83-74 over the Nittany Lions as five Gophers scored in double figures. Dawson Garcia had 22 points, followed by Cam Christie with 17, Joshua Ola-Joseph with 14 and Mike Mitchell Jr., and Parker Fox with 11. Pharrel Payne sat that game out due to injury. The Gophers shot 53.8 percent in that game.
• Minnesota is coming off a 105-97 juggernaut loss at No. 13 Illinois Wednesday night. All five starters reached double-figures, led by Dawson Garcia's game-high 29 points and a career-high 23 from Cam Christie. Both teams shot 60 percent, with 20 lead changes and six ties. Both teams combined for just nine turnovers in the game, as Minnesota had five and Illinois committed four.
• Elijah Hawkins added a double-double Wednesday at Illinois when he produced 10 points and 12 assists. His single-season assist total is now at 203, four shy of tying Marcus Carr's program record 207 he set in 2019-20. Hawkins also reached his 1,000th career point Sunday at Nebraska. Scoring a career-high 24 points in the Ohio State win, nine at Nebraska, and 10 at Illinois, Hawkins now sits at 1,011 career points. As a Gopher, Hawkins has 247 points and 764 points in his two-year tenure at Howard.
• Cam Christie notched a career-best 23 points in the loss at Illinois Wednesday. That marked the second-highest single-game scoring by a freshman this year. Only Gavin Griffiths of Rutgers, who scored 25 in the nonconference season against Boston University, produced more in a single game. Christie had a career-high six threes Wednesday and tied threes attempted at nine. He ranks second in scoring, averaging 11.6 points per game.
LAST GAME RECAP
• Minnesota dropped a 105-97 offensive battle at No. 13 Illinois Wednesday night. The teams combined for 202 points, and there were 20 lead changes and six ties in the game. The Gophers were 14 of 20 (.700) from a three-point range. The 14 three-pointers tied for fourth-most in a single game, and the 70 percent figure is fourth-best in Minnesota history (min. eight attempts).
• Dawson Garcia scored 29 points when he made 12 of 23 field goals, scoring 20 or more points for the 10th time this season. All five starters scored double digits, while Elijah Hawkins had a point/assist double-double.
ABOUT PENN STATE
• Penn State is 14-15 overall this season and 8-10 in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions have won their past two of three but dropped their last game at Iowa Tuesday night 90-81.
• Penn State lost its leading scorer Kanye Clary, who was dismissed from the team. However, PSU has gone 2-2 since his departure, including a home win against then-No. 12 Illinois. Penn State's starting lineup consists of three juniors, a senior, and a fifth-year senior, who all transferred to the program this year. Ace Baldwin Jr. averages 14.1 points and ranks second nationally in steals per game with 81. Qudus Wahab averages 9.5 points and 7.6 rebounds, which ranks seventh in the league. Nick Kern and Zach Hicks average 8.8 and 8.2 points respectively.
• As a team, Penn State averages 75.8 and allows 74.5. The Nittany Lions are shooting 44.3 percent from the field, while its opponents are shooting 46 percent against them. PSU's three-point defense only allows its opponents to shoot 31.1 percent. The Nittany Lions are shooting 73.6 from the charity stripe and 31.6 rebounds.
ON THE DOCKET
• Minnesota closes out its home schedule when it hosts Indiana March 6 at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network .
• Mike Grimm and Al Nolen will provide the radio broadcast on KFAN 100.3 FM.
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