Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball moved to 6-4 after their loss to Michigan State on Wednesday. 

The Gophers were led by forward Dawson Garcia in their first Big Ten game of the season and faced fewer offensive problems than in previous games this year. Unlike past matches, the Gophers lacked defensively, allowing the Spartans to shoot over 50% from the field and 50% from 3-point range. 

The Spartans had 27 points in transition, something head coach Ben Johnson pointed out as a reason for the loss. 

“They’re a team you have to sprint back against,” Johnson said. “Our guys felt the force and we never recovered from that.”

Gophers guard Mike Mitchell Jr. made his return to the court after missing the previous seven games. The California native started the game on the bench, and when he stepped onto the court, Williams Arena exploded into claps and cheers. 

The volume in Williams rose after Mitchell Jr. hit his first 3-point shot of the night. He finished the game with 17 points after exploding for 14 points while going five for nine from the field in the second half. 

When asked about how he felt regarding his return, he diverted to an apology to his teammates. 

“It definitely felt good to be back out there, I just apologized to my team after the game,” Mitchell Jr. said. “I wish I could have helped on defense. I’ll be better next game.”

Mitchell Jr. walked gingerly when the game was out of play or when he was not part of the play. The Gophers are still without Toledo transfer guard Tyler Cochran.

Johnson said Mitchell Jr. is close to 100% but needs to get back into the flow of the game.  

The Gophers started out slow, getting down 9-2 early, but defensive stops and a run of points allowed Minnesota to get up three with 13 minutes left in the first half. 

In a short run, the Gophers shot six for eight while holding the Spartans to one for seven in shooting. Minutes after the Gophers took their only lead of the night, they went cold again and allowed a 14-0 run in under four minutes. 

The Spartans run ballooned to 21-3 and they led by 16 points with six minutes left in the first half. 

At halftime, the Gophers trailed the Spartans by 12 points after ending the first half with zero field goals in the final three minutes.  

Garcia started the second half with five quick points, but the Spartans were scoring on the other end, keeping their lead at 11 with 17 minutes left in the game. The senior slowed down after that, only scoring again with less than six minutes left in the game.

Back-to-back 3-point shots from Mitchell Jr. put the Gophers down 11 points but the next play saw Spartans forward Xavier Booker respond by knocking down his second three of the night.

Gophers fans started to leave Williams with less than five minutes left in the game while Spartans fans belted, “Let’s go Spartans” from behind their team’s bench. A handful of Gophers fans, Minnesota cheerleaders, the band and Barnyard (UMN) were still watching from the student section. 

Despite the team shooting less than 45% from the field, Garcia echoed what Johnson said, and pointed to the team’s defensive struggles. 

“It wasn’t about offense today, it was about defense,” Garcia said. “Guarding in transition and second chance opportunities.” 

Garcia said he has no worries about the offense because they are getting shots they usually make and expects them to fall soon. 

The Gophers next game is on the road against Indiana on Monday. The Hoosiers boast a 6-2 overall record and fell out of the top 25 on Dec. 2.