Western Michigan Broncos at Minnesota Golden Gophers
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Transfers Garcia, Cooper help Minnesota top Western Michigan
Garcia made a 3-pointer, his third of the game, from the top of the key with 1:54 left to extend Minnesota's lead to 59-50 and Taurus Samuels made 1 of 2 free throws with 20 seconds left to make it 61-54.
Garcia and Cooper are two of three transfers who joined the Gophers this season, with Garcia coming back home to his native state after stints at Marquette and North Carolina. Garcia started 12 of 16 games for the national runner-up Tar Heels before leaving the team at midseason to move home due to family health concerns. Cooper is from Morehead State.
The Gophers played without star Jamison Battle, who had minor foot surgery on Oct. 28 and has not yet been cleared to return. The third-year forward was picked for the 11-player preseason All-Big Ten team, the third-leading scorer among returners in the conference. Freshman guard Braeden Carrington was also sidelined by an ankle injury, delaying his debut with his home-state team.
Lamar Norman Jr. scored 15 points and Seth Hubbard added 13 for Western Michigan. Markeese Hastings grabbed 10 rebounds.
Minnesota hosts St. Francis Brooklyn on Friday and DePaul and Central Michigan next week before hitting the road.
How can I watch Western Michigan vs. Minnesota?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 60 - 61 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 57 - 61 |
| 2nd 0:00 | Lamar Norman Jr. made Three Point Jumper. Assisted by Markeese Hastings. | 60 - 61 |
| 2nd 0:02 | Foul on Will Ramberg. | 57 - 61 |
| 2nd 0:05 | Markeese Hastings Defensive Rebound. | 57 - 61 |
Statistics
 WMU |
 MINN |
|
|---|---|---|
| 24-69 | FG | 22-51 |
| 35 | Field Goal % | 43 |
| 8-34 | 3PT | 8-18 |
| 24 | Three Point % | 44 |
| 4-4 | FT | 9-23 |
| 100 | Free Throw % | 39 |
| 40 | Rebounds | 42 |
| 17 | Offensive Rebounds | 14 |
| 23 | Defensive Rebounds | 28 |
| 11 | Assists | 16 |
| 8 | Steals | 4 |
| 4 | Blocks | 5 |
| 10 | Turnovers | 16 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 10 | Total Turnovers | 16 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 18 | Points Off Turnovers | 10 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 26 | Points in Paint | 26 |
| 18 | Fouls | 10 |
| 0 | Largest Lead | 13 |
Game Information
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 8,119 | Capacity:
2025-26 Mid-American Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami (OH) | 18-0 | - | 32-2 |
| Akron | 17-1 | 1 | 29-6 |
| Kent State | 14-4 | 4 | 24-10 |
| Toledo | 11-7 | 7 | 19-15 |
| Bowling Green | 9-9 | 9 | 18-14 |
| Ohio | 9-9 | 9 | 15-17 |
| Buffalo | 7-11 | 11 | 17-15 |
| Massachusetts | 7-11 | 11 | 17-16 |
| Ball State | 7-11 | 11 | 12-19 |
| Central Michigan | 6-12 | 12 | 10-21 |
| Western Michigan | 4-14 | 14 | 10-21 |
| Eastern Michigan | 4-14 | 14 | 10-21 |
| Northern Illinois | 4-14 | 14 | 9-21 |
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 19-1 | - | 33-3 |
| Nebraska | 15-5 | 4 | 28-6 |
| Michigan State | 15-5 | 4 | 27-7 |
| Illinois | 15-5 | 4 | 26-8 |
| Wisconsin | 14-6 | 5 | 24-11 |
| Purdue | 13-7 | 6 | 29-8 |
| UCLA | 13-7 | 6 | 24-12 |
| Ohio State | 12-8 | 7 | 21-13 |
| Iowa | 10-10 | 9 | 23-12 |
| Indiana | 9-11 | 10 | 18-14 |
| Minnesota | 8-12 | 11 | 15-17 |
| USC | 7-13 | 12 | 18-14 |
| Washington | 7-13 | 12 | 16-17 |
| Rutgers | 6-14 | 13 | 14-19 |
| Northwestern | 5-15 | 14 | 15-19 |
| Oregon | 5-15 | 14 | 12-20 |
| Maryland | 4-16 | 15 | 12-21 |
| Penn State | 3-17 | 16 | 12-20 |