'Absolutely vital': Charity staff thankful for 'important' donation
Staff at a Glasgow charity have opened up on the "importance" of a recent donation as they revealed their plans for 2025.
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Men’s basketball: Gophers hold off Iowa rally for second straight win
Minnesota saw its 17-point lead dwindle to three with 30 seconds left, but Frank Mitchell hit a pair of free throws to seal it.
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After the Gophers beat No. 21 Michigan last week for their first Big Ten victory of the season, head coach Ben Johnson was high on his team.
With several newcomers, rookies and veterans, it has taken the Gophers some time to get their act entirely together. But now, Johnson said, they were ready to play good basketball over the last 13 regular-season games of the season.
That stretch started Tuesday in Iowa City, where Minnesota held off a furious rally to beat Iowa 72-67 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Dawson Garcia had 20 points and six rebounds, and Femi Odukale added 18 points — 13 more than his season average — and eight rebounds as the Gophers won in Iowa City for the first time since 2015.
“I’ve said it before and I can’t say this point enough. Even when we weren’t getting results … we were getting better. We just weren’t getting rewarded and weren’t finishing,” Johnson told KFAN-FM after the game. “But we were getting better, and this team believed that — and that’s a sign of toughness.”
Gopher center Frank Mitchell eight points, six boards, two assists and a block in 18 minutes for the Gophers (10-9 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) and sealed the victory with an offensive rebound off a one-and-one and a pair of free throws to give Minnesota a 72-67 lead with 10.1 seconds remaining.
Before that, the Hawkeyes had caught fire, using a 9-0 run to ultimately cut a 17-point second-half deficit to three with 30 seconds remaining.
For a team that entered the night shooting a combined 64 percent from the line, Mitchell’s two free throws were massive — the first hitting hard off the back iron before popping straight up and dropping back in for a 71-67 lead.
The second was prettier.
“Free throws were huge. Those were two monster ones,” Johnson said. “No style points, but who cares? He goes to the line and knocks those down, it makes it tough (for Iowa).”
Payton Sandfort missed short on a 3-point attempt with 5 seconds left, Mike Mitchell Jr. grabbed the rebound, and Iowa (12-7 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) never got another shot off.
“Now, we’re able to turn the page a little bit because (the players) believed and they never wavered,” Johnson said. “To have the resolve and poise to close it out on the road, man, (I’m) just really, really proud of the effort.”
Odukale was big for Minnesota as it built a 63-46 lead on a pair of free throws by Garcia with 6:15 remaining. A 37 percent foul shooter this season, he hit a pair to give the Gophers a 70-65 lead with 51 seconds remaining.
On his 24th birthday, Odukale also scored on a wide-open 3-point attempt, a three-point play off a layup and a dunk off a pass from teammate Parker Fox.
“He plays with poise, he makes good decisions. … He’s a calming force,” Johnson told KFAN. “It’s his birthday today; I thought he had a hell of a birthday.”
Iowa started the night averaging 11 made 3-pointers at home this season, and scoring a Big Ten-best 94.3 points a game at Carver-Hawkeye. But they missed their first 12 from long range and finished 3 for 21 from 3-point range.
Minnesota had lost its past six in Iowa City, including last year’s game, when the Gophers lost a 20-point lead. Center Owen Freeman and guard Payton Sandfort each scored 21 points and pulled down a combined 18 rebounds for the Hawkeyes.
Mitchell was conspicuous in a key Gophers run early in the second half, as well, finding Garcia for a pair of layups — first on a roll pass into the post, then grabbing an offensive rebound and hitting Garcia as he streaked back into the lane — as Minnesota took a 42-31 lead with just under 16 minutes left.
After a timeout, Mitchell scored twice off a pair of offensive rebounds as Minnesota took a 46-33 lead.
“It’s so hard to win on the road, you never take that for granted, ever, so they celebrated like they should (in the locker room),” Johnson said. “Now, we enjoy it for 24 hours and then get back to work. It’s going to be a fun bus ride back home.”
The Gophers are host to new conference rival Oregon on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at Williams Arena.
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