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18-11,9-9Big Ten
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Gophers Rally for Comeback Win on Senior Day
3/2/2024 5:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Cam Christie scored a game-high 19 points, and Elijah Hawkins finished with 18 points and eight assists to break the school record for single-season assists, helping Minnesota (18-11, 9-9 Big Ten) rally from a 23-point first-half deficit and sweep the season series with a 75-70 victory over Penn State (14-16, 8-11 Big Ten) on Senior Day at Williams Arena.
The Gophers trailed 41-18 with 5:04 remaining in the first half but were able to trim the halftime deficit to 12 points before shooting 57.7 percent (15-of-26) in the second half to outscore the Nittany Lions 45-28 and secure the remarkable comeback. Parker Fox made his first start of the season and finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and four blocked shots; Mike Mitchell Jr. had 11 points and five boards, Dawson Garcia added eight points and five rebounds, and Pharrel Payne had eight points, three rebounds, and two blocked shots.
Minnesota led 8-7 at the outset, but the Nittany Lions connected on three three-pointers during an 11-0 run to build an 18-8 lead. The Gophers cut the deficit to 18-12 on a layup by Hawkins, and a pair of free throws by Payne, but Penn State hit its fifth three-pointer in as many attempts for a 21-12 lead at the 11:49 mark. The Nittany Lions added another three, making them a red-hot 6-of-6 from beyond the arc, and four free throws for a 28-12 lead with 9:13 left in the half. Penn State extended the lead to 30-12, making it a 23-4 run, before Hawkins hit a pair of free throws with 8:17 left and knocked down the Gophers' first three of the game to cut it to 30-17. But the Nittany Lions added three more treys during an 11-1 run, improving to 9-of-11 from behind the line and stretching the lead to 41-18. Minnesota fought back with a 12-1 run over the final five minutes to cut Penn State's halftime advantage to 42-30. Fox led the Gophers with first-half totals of seven points, five rebounds, and four blocked shots, while Hawkins had seven points and two assists, and Payne and Christie each had six points. The Gophers made just 8-of-24 field goals, including 1-of-11 three-pointers, while Penn State was 14-of-27 (.519) and 9-of-13 (.692) from long-range.
The teams battled back and forth over the first six minutes of the second half, with the Gophers cutting the deficit to 51-41 at the first media timeout. Back-to-back three-pointers by Mitchell Jr. and Hawkins pulled the Gophers to within six points, 53-47, with 11:55 remaining. Minnesota opened the second half 7-of-11 (.636) from the field, including 3-of-6 from distance. Christie's 15-foot jumper cut it to 53-49, and a layup by Fox on a school record-setting 208th assist of the season from Hawkins pulled the Gophers to within two points with 9:02 left. Hawkins broke Marcus Carr's previous single-season school record of 207 assists, which was set during the 2019-20 season. A three-pointer put the Nittany Lions up 58-53, but Payne scored on a layup, Fox drove the baseline for a dunk, Chrisite's layup gave the Gophers their first lead since 8-7, and then he added a three for a 62-58 lead with 3:49 left. Penn State used a 5-0 run to reclaim a 63-62 lead with 2:44 on the clock, but Hawkins came up with a steal and fed a trailing Mitchell Jr. for a layup to put the Gophers up 64-63. Minnesota forced a turnover, and Christie was fouled, making both attempts for a three-point lead. The Gophers repeated the feat on the next possession, with Hawkins making a pair at the line to make it 68-63. Hawkins added a free throw for a six-point lead with 40.4 seconds left, but a Penn State three cut it to 69-66 with 0:34.5 remaining, as PSU head coach Mike Rhoades called time out. Christie, Garcia, and Mitchell Jr. each made two free throws to help seal Minnesota's 16th home victory.
Minnesota finished the game 23-of-50 (.460) from the field but just 5-of-20 (.250) from three-point range. A key for the Gophers was going 24-of-27 (.889) at the free throw line and forcing 17 PSU turnovers, which led to 26 points. Minnesota had eight blocked shots and 11 steals, and held Penn State to 11-of-29 (.379) second-half field goals (2-of-10 3FGS) after its red-hot first-half shooting.
The Gophers remain home to play host to Indiana for the regular season home finale at 8:00 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, March 6, on Big Ten Network.