The longest losing streak for the Gophers men's basketball team against any Big Ten opponent finally came to an end in Sunday's 65-62 victory against Maryland.
The last two times the Gophers beat Maryland was when current head coach Ben Johnson was an assistant on Minnesota's staff during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons under Richard Pitino — since then, they had lost 10 straight.
Johnson remembered the last home win against Maryland in 2016. That win ended a 14-game losing streak for the Gophers, who saw fans storm the court after upsetting the nation's sixth-ranked team.
This is a different Maryland program now, but the Terrapins still whooped the Gophers by 35 points in Minneapolis last season. That was tied for the largest defeat in team history at the Barn.
So, the Gophers finally winning a game in the series was meaningful. The Terrapins, a tough, hard-nosed defensive squad with one of the top scoring guards in the league, were picked to finish third in the Big Ten's unofficial preseason poll by media.
"They're one of the elite programs in the country," Johnson said. "They have dudes there all the time. That's a program that [had] contended for a Final Four. For us, we're still in the building stages, so this is another really good win from that standpoint."
Here are four things learned from the Gophers' seventh straight win Sunday:
Strength in numbers
Last season, the Gophers would've been buried under an insurmountable deficit if their top three scorers were shutout, but Johnson's depth kept them in Sunday's game until a late second-half run.
Dawson Garcia and Mike Mitchell Jr., who averaged 29 points combined entering the game, both had no field goals for most of the game. Joshua Ola-Joseph had all 10 of his points in the first half with Maryland leading 29-22.
Garcia didn't score his first basket until just over six minutes remaining in the game. Mitchell's first basket came about 40 seconds later. By then, the Gophers had erased a 10-point deficit in the second half with contributions from others.
Maryland led 36-26 before Minnesota took control of the game with a 23-9 run on baskets from Pharrel Payne, Elijah Hawkins, Cam Christie and Braeden Carrington. Payne did damage inside the paint. Hawkins, Christie, and Carrington combined for five three-pointers during the rally.
Finishing strong, Garcia had 10 points in the last 6:06 of the game, including six free throws in the final 21 seconds.
Hawkins' heroics
It's become a broken record singing the praises of Hawkins after each game, but he's been that instrumental to the U's success.
We can keep talking about the assist numbers he racks up. That total is now 74 assists in the last seven games (10.6 average), the most for a Big Ten player in that span since 1996-97, per Sports Science.
Hawkins' shooting percentages are down from his first two seasons at Howard, but he still has made clutch shots. His two three-pointers were big during the second-half run, including a deep jumper from NBA range to beat the shot clock for a 47-45 lead with 8:28 to play. Minnesota didn't trail again.
Defensively is also where the 5-11 transfer made a significant impact Sunday. It wasn't just his six steals (four in the first half), the most for a Gophers player since 2012.
Hawkins took turns with Carrington defending fellow DeMatha Catholic (Md.) product Jahmir Young, who had six points on 2-for-6 shooting and five turnovers in the first half. Young, who averaged 19 points, finished with 20 points, but he was 5-for-17 from the field.
The Gophers held Maryland to 38% shooting from the field. That was light years difference from the three losses last season when they allowed the Terrapins to shoot a combined 54% from the field, including 68% in the loss at College Park.
Payne vs. Reese
One of the reasons Maryland dominated the Gophers last season was because of such a one-sided edge in the paint.
Terrapins big men Julian Reese and Donta Scott were Gophers killers with their toughness and athleticism.
Payne is by far the Gophers' most physical player. He averaged 16 points and six rebounds in three games against Maryland last season. Two of his best games against Big Ten opponents as a freshman came vs. the Terrapins. But Payne couldn't outplay Maryland's entire frontline.
On Sunday, Payne went scoreless in the first half after sitting with early foul trouble, which helped Maryland take control with an 11-point lead. Reese and Scott combined for 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the first half.
In the second half, Payne returned to the floor to score all of his eight points during a critical run to take the lead. The 6-9, 255-pound sophomore took advantage of Reese sitting with four fouls with just under 17 minutes left. Reese had a team-best 10 points by halftime, but he scored just one field goal in the second half.
Overcoming officiating
Johnson didn't want to blame the officials after the game for one of the most egregious missed goaltending calls you'll ever see.
With about two minutes remaining in the game, the Gophers saw a floater by Mitchell nearly drop through before the basket was interfered with when a Maryland player grabbed the net.
"They thought it was after the shot, which would've not affected the shot," Johnson said. "It is what it is."
Goaltending is goaltending. The play could've turned the momentum if Johnson and his players lost their composure with the apparent blown call. They stayed steadfast in closing the game strong.
The Gophers were clinging to a three-point lead when Carrington forced an errant layup by Young on the ensuing Maryland possession. Garcia then gave his team a slight cushion with a putback for a 57-52 lead.
Earlier in the night, Hawkins received a technical foul complaining to officials for missing him getting hacked on the arm on a drive. But he didn't hesitate to attack the basket again for a layup with 34 seconds left. That answered Maryland's three-pointer that made it a two-point game.
