Dawson Garcia Saves The Day With An Unstoppable Performance

Dawson Garcia led the way with 19 points and 14 rebounds as visiting Minnesota defeated Penn State 69-61 on Tuesday in a Big Ten Conference matchup from University Park, Pa. Brennan Rigsby made all five of his shots off the bench, scoring 11 points to help the Golden Gophers win their second consecutive game. Minnesota improved to 10-13 overall and 3-11 in the Big Ten, while Penn State fell to 14-10 and 5-8 in conference play.

The Golden Gophers shot 43.1% from the field and made 7 of 19 from 3-point range. Garcia, who also had three assists and a block, led Minnesota with his eighth double-double of the season. Rigsby added two assists and a steal off the bench, while Jamison Battle scored 10 points. Minnesota outrebounded Penn State 38-32, including a 10-6 edge on the offensive glass.

Penn State was led by Jalen Pickett, who had 22 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Seth Lundy added 18 points and five rebounds for the Nittany Lions, who shot 41.7% from the field and made 8 of 22 from 3-point range. Penn State also had 13 turnovers, which led to 17 points for Minnesota.

The Golden Gophers started strong and took a 15-9 lead with 12:23 left in the first half. Penn State responded with a 10-2 run, but Minnesota regained control with a 12-2 spurt to take a 29-21 advantage with 2:37 remaining. Garcia and Rigsby each scored five points during the surge, and the Golden Gophers led 31-26 at halftime.

Penn State pulled within two points early in the second half, but Minnesota responded with a 9-2 run to take a 44-35 lead with 13:05 left. The Golden Gophers maintained a comfortable margin and led by as many as 11 points before the Nittany Lions made a late surge. Penn State pulled within 63-59 with 59 seconds left, but Garcia made four free throws and Rigsby added two more to seal the win for Minnesota.