Dawson Garcia's grit, Treyton Thompson's dunk seal Gophers win vs. Chicago State

Officials had to separate the Gophers' Dawson Garcia and a Chicago State player Thursday when neither would let go after a jump ball midway through the second half.

After his team squandered a double-digit second-half lead, Garcia wanted to send a message with his intensity and toughness when the Gophers were losing control.

Carried by their co-captain, the Gophers survived the upset with Garcia scoring 10 of his 18 points in the second half in a 58-55 win Thursday afternoon in front of an announced 8,736 at Williams Arena.

"It was a close one down the stretch," Garcia said. "It was a dogfight at that point, and we needed some buckets. My teammates found me, and I did the work."

The Gophers (6-6), who have won two straight games for the first time in a month, led 44-34 after Jamison Battle's step-back jumper with about 16 minutes remaining. The momentum shifted once he headed to the bench after picking up his third foul.

Chicago State (3-12) then used a 12-0 run to pull ahead 46-44 on Jahsean Corbett's two free throws with 11:07 to play.

The home crowd went silent before Garcia answered with six points during an 8-0 run. But Wesley Cardet Jr., who finished with 17 points, took his defender off the dribble and scored a layup for a 53-52 lead.

Garcia responded again. But the Gophers needed Battle to get the lucky roll when his jumper bounced off the rim and down to make it a one-point game. Arguably the biggest play came next when Treyton Thompson dunked a put-back with 1:11 left.

The Gophers, who shot 35% from the field and 0-for-10 on three-pointers in the second half, held the Cougars scoreless in the last 2 minutes, 53 seconds after trailing 55-54.

"We drew a couple things up to get him on the block," Gophers coach Ben Johnson said of Garcia. "I think he understands kind of where his bread is buttered. Capable shooter, but at the end of the day he's got a knack when he gets it down low."

After struggling to open the game because of settling too much on jump shots, the Gophers leaned on their size advantage to establish a post presence in the first half.

The Gophers took only two of their first nine shots in the paint and opened 0-for-5 from three to trail in the first seven minutes, but Pharrel Payne provided an early spark inside off the bench.

Payne had back-to-back baskets during a 12-0 run that was capped when he connected with fellow freshman Braeden Carrington for a three-pointer to lead 20-10. Battle had 10 of his 14 points in the first half.

Carrington and Battle, who combined for 38 points and nine threes in last week's 72-56 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, had four first-half threes to help the Gophers lead by as much as 15 points.

The Pine Bluff victory ended a five-game losing streak when the Gophers nailed a season-high 12 threes, but they couldn't rely on outside shooting to pull out Thursday's game.

The Gophers shot 56% in the first half, but they allowed the Cougars to hang around. Garcia's teammates shot 5-for-20 from the field in the second half, so the victory had to also be sealed defensively. Chicago State was held to 26% shooting in the second half.

With Big Ten play resuming next month, the Gophers hope to keep their momentum going with nonconference play ending Dec. 29 against Alcorn State at home.

"There are times when we struggle," Battle said. "When you get a win that helps, but it's just the process of just learning, getting better and continuing to build."