Minnesota Golden Gophers at Iowa Hawkeyes
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Garcia scores 20 points, Odukale adds 18 to help Minnesota push past Iowa 72-67
Minnesota led by double digits for most of the second half until Owen Freeman scored six points during Iowa's 13-3 run to cut the deficit to 70-67 with 30 seconds left. Garcia missed two free throws on the next possession, but Seydou Traore then missed at the line for Iowa. Frank Mitchell made a pair of free throws to seal it for Minnesota.
Minnesota (10-9, 2-6 Big Ten), which beat then-No. 20 Michigan 84-81 in overtime on Thursday, has won consecutive games since snapping a four-game losing streak.
Payton Sandfort scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Iowa (12-7, 3-5), which has lost three straight. Freeman also had 21 points to go with eight rebounds. Traore finished with 11 points.
Garcia scored seven points in a 14-3 run to open the second half to stretch Minnesota's lead to 45-31 with 14:23 remaining. A pair of Garcia free throws gave the Golden Gophers a 17-point advantage, 63-46, with 6:15 left. It was their largest lead of the game.
Iowa hosts Penn State on Friday.
Minnesota is at home against No. 15 Oregon on Saturday.
How can I watch Minnesota vs. Iowa?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 72 - 67 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 72 - 67 |
| 2nd 0:01 | Owen Freeman Steal. | 72 - 67 |
| 2nd 0:01 | Femi Odukale Turnover. | 72 - 67 |
| 2nd 0:01 | Mike Mitchell Jr. Defensive Rebound. | 72 - 67 |
Statistics
 MINN |
 IOWA |
|
|---|---|---|
| 24-58 | FG | 28-61 |
| 41 | Field Goal % | 46 |
| 7-24 | 3PT | 3-21 |
| 29 | Three Point % | 14 |
| 17-24 | FT | 8-12 |
| 71 | Free Throw % | 67 |
| 38 | Rebounds | 33 |
| 12 | Offensive Rebounds | 9 |
| 26 | Defensive Rebounds | 24 |
| 15 | Assists | 19 |
| 4 | Steals | 5 |
| 3 | Blocks | 4 |
| 11 | Turnovers | 7 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 11 | Total Turnovers | 7 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 4 | Points Off Turnovers | 14 |
| 3 | Fast Break Points | 20 |
| 30 | Points in Paint | 48 |
| 13 | Fouls | 18 |
| 17 | Largest Lead | 2 |
Game Information
Location: Iowa City, IA
Attendance: 8,004 | Capacity:
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | 2-0 | - | 12-0 |
| Michigan | 2-0 | - | 11-0 |
| Michigan State | 2-0 | - | 11-1 |
| Purdue | 2-0 | - | 11-1 |
| UCLA | 2-0 | - | 10-3 |
| USC | 1-1 | 1 | 12-1 |
| Iowa | 1-1 | 1 | 10-2 |
| Indiana | 1-1 | 1 | 10-3 |
| Illinois | 1-1 | 1 | 9-3 |
| Ohio State | 1-1 | 1 | 9-3 |
| Washington | 1-1 | 1 | 8-4 |
| Wisconsin | 1-1 | 1 | 8-4 |
| Minnesota | 1-1 | 1 | 7-5 |
| Penn State | 0-2 | 2 | 8-4 |
| Northwestern | 0-2 | 2 | 7-5 |
| Maryland | 0-2 | 2 | 6-6 |
| Oregon | 0-2 | 2 | 6-6 |
| Rutgers | 0-2 | 2 | 6-6 |