ANN ARBOR, MICH. – The Gophers men's basketball team hadn't really been taken seriously even after a 7-0 start this season, especially after suffering its first loss to open Big Ten play.
But there was first-year coach Ben Johnson's team Saturday night proving the doubters wrong again with a 75-65 win over Michigan, the program's first victory in Ann Arbor since 2011.
Jamison Battle's jumper with 6:19 to play kept the Crisler Arena crowd silent as the Gophers' lead grew to 16 points during an 11-0 run in the second half, but fans didn't start exiting until the waning seconds.
The Gophers (8-1) lost for the first time this season 75-67 Wednesday against No. 19 Michigan State at Williams Arena, but they left with their heads high after nearly erasing a 19-point second-half deficit.
That confidence facing their first ranked and Big Ten opponent carried over Saturday for the Gophers, who came out firing after trailing 36-32 at halftime.
Luke Loewe and Battle, who finished with 27 points, nailed back-to-back three-pointers early in the second half for a 47-40 lead against the Wolverines, who had relied on inside scoring to take control to open the game.
Michigan's 7-1 center Hunter Dickinson had 14 of his 19 points in the first half, but he struggled to have the same impact facing swarming defenders in the post until late.
Dickinson's jumper cut Minnesota's advantage to 55-50 midway through the second half, but Battle drove the lane and scored to start the rally. Payton Willis' three-pointer and Loewe's reverse layup followed before Battle scored on consecutive possessions to put Minnesota ahead 66-50.
On Wednesday, the Barn crowd helped to spark a second-half Gophers comeback, but the team drew its own energy on the road Saturday night. The Gophers had experience winning away from home at Pittsburgh and Mississippi State, the program's first back-to-back true road victories since 2017.
Dickinson's three-point play made it 66-60 with 3:55 remaining Saturday, but E.J. Stephens responded with a runner to keep Michigan from getting its fans going.
Michigan forced two 10-second violations in keeping the Gophers from crossing midcourt late in the second half, but that wasn't enough to escape the upset.
The Wolverines (6-3) have fallen hard from No. 6 in the Associated Press preseason poll to well out of the top 25, also including losses to Seton Hall, Arizona and North Carolina earlier this season.
Third-year coach Juwan Howard's team did bounce back with wins against San Diego State and Nebraska, sinking 15 three-pointers in a 102-67 win at Nebraska in Tuesday's Big Ten opener. But Michigan faced one of the nation's best three-point defenses Saturday and was held to 3-for-18 from long distance by the Gophers.
Senior Eric Curry had a career night Wednesday against Michigan State with 18 points, but he played more of a defensive role Saturday, trying to slow Dickinson in the paint. Dickinson had just five points on 2-for-7 shooting in the second half.
Willis and Stephens combined for 30 points for the Gophers, who were able to control the pace and slow the tempo with just four turnovers. They entered the game ranked third in the Big Ten and eighth nationally with 8.9 per game.
Marcus Fuller covers Gophers men's basketball and college basketball for the Star Tribune. He has 13 years of experience covering Twin Cities college and professional sports.
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