Prior Lake native Dawson Garcia scored 23 points and Ta’Lon Cooper flirted with a triple-double as the Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated Western Michigan 61-60 in their season opener at Williams Arena on Monday night.
Garcia played in his first game for the Gophers after transferring from North Carolina last offseason. The sophomore shot 8-for-16 from the field including 3-of-5 from 3-point range while adding seven rebounds.
Welcome home, Dawson Garcia. 🙌@Dawson23lee x @GopherMBB
💻: https://t.co/OGsnYacDXU pic.twitter.com/8g6ybCDaoU
— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) November 8, 2022
While Garcia shined, he wasn’t the only Gopher to have a strong debut. Cooper put up 17 points on the night, dishing out 10 assists and pulling down eight rebounds in the process.
The harder the shot, the more Ta'Lon Cooper likes it. 💯@LatrellT313 x @GopherMBB pic.twitter.com/TLc52xjeLo
— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) November 8, 2022
Together, the Gopher transfers provided the offense on a night where Jamison Battle sat out as he recovers from minor foot surgery.
The Broncos made things interesting in the final minutes, cutting the lead down to 56-50 on Seth Hubbard’s 3-pointer, but Garcia’s 3-pointer with 1:56 to go helped Minnesota come away with the victory.
After the season-opening win, the Gophers will host St. Francis Brooklyn on Friday night.
