University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
13-15,6-11Big Ten
#3 Michigan
26-2,16-1Big Ten
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Gophers Battle But Fall to No. 3 Michigan
2/24/2026 10:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Cade Tyson made 5-of-10 three-pointers and finished with 20 points and six rebounds, Langston Reynolds had 15 points, and Bobby Durkin and Isaac Asuma each had 12 points, but No. 3 Michigan (26-2, 16-1 Big Ten) made nine second-half three-pointers to pull away from a four-point halftime lead and clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title with a 77-67 win over Minnesota (13-15, 6-11 Big Ten) at Crisler Arena.
Shorthanded Minnesota, playing its fourth-straight game without starting forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, trailed the Wolverines 32-28 at the half, and were still within 51-47 with 10:19 remaining. But a 19-5 Michigan run that included five three-pointers helped to seal the victory. The Wolverines made 9-of-18 three-pointers in the second half.
Tyson scored 20 or more points for the 12th time this season. He made 6-of-13 field goals, including his five three-pointers, and was 3-of-3 at the line. His rebounding total led or tied for the team lead for the fourth-straight game, and he is averaging 20.3 points and 8.3 rebounds during that span. Reynolds finished with 15 points to go with four rebounds, three steals, and three assists, while Durkin was 4-of-10 from three-point range and added four assists and three steals, and Asuma reached double-figures for the eighth-straight game. Grayson Grove played 37 minutes, finishing with eight points and a career-high five assists.
As a team, Minnesota made 25-of-55 (.455) field goals, including 12-of-34 (.353) three-pointers, and 5-of-6 (.833) free throws. The Gophers were outrebounded 39-18, but forced 14 Michigan turnovers and had a 14-4 advantage in points off TOs. Michigan had a slim 26-24 edge in points in the paint despite a noticeable size advantage, and Minnesota had eight steals in the game.
Elliot Cadeau led the Wolverines with 15 points, while L.J. Cason had 14 points, and Trey McKenney added 12. That trio combined to go 11-of-21 from three-point range, but Michigan's leading scorer Yaxel Lendeborg was limited to three points.
Michigan jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Tyson got the Gophers going with a three-pointer. Reynolds drove the right side and scored on a layup to tie the score, but Cadeau put Michigan back in front with a layup of his own. Minnesota took an 8-7 lead on Tyson's second three of the game at the 15:59 mark, and a Durkin trey and another Reynolds layup put the Gophers up 13-9 with 13:33 left in the half. A 5-0 Michigan run put the Wolverines up by one, but Durkin drained his second three-pointer for a 16-14 advantage with 11:00 remaining.
A three-point play by Gayle once again put the Wolverines up by a point, but Asuma cut through the center of the lane for a layup and an 18-17 edge, but Gayle answered with a layup for a 19-18 Michigan lead with 9:13 left. Minnesota took a 20-19 lead on a lob from Durkin to Grove for an alley-oop dunk, but a pair of three-pointers gave Michigan a 25-20 lead, and Niko Medved called a timeout with 5:46 left. McKenney added another three-pointer and Johnson added a dunk to give Michigan a 30-20 lead, as Minnesota was scoreless for 5:53 before an Asuma layup with 2:03 left. Asuma and Reynolds added layups for a 6-0 Gophers run to trim it to 30-26, and Reynolds added a layup at the buzzer to send the Gophers to the locker room trailing 32-28.
Reynolds led the Gophers with eight first-half points and three rebounds, while Tyson, Asuma, and Durkin each had six points. Minnesota made 12-of-27 (.444) field goal attempts, including 4-of-16 three-pointers, and 0-of-1 free throws in the first half, with Michigan holding a 21-11 advantage on the glass. Gayle and Cadeau each had seven points for the Wolverines, while Burnett added five points. Michigan was 13-of-31 (.419) from the field, including 5-of-15 three-pointers, and 1-of-1 free throws.
Asuma connected on his first three-pointer and Tyson scored on a layup for a 37-33 game with 18:05 left, and a four-point play by Tyson pulled the Gophers within 39-37 at the 17:17 mark. An 8-2 Michigan run made it 47-39, but Tyson's fourth three-pointer pulled the Gophers back within five. The Wolverines extended their lead to 51-42, but Asuma's second three-pointer of the half trimmed the margin to six with 12:04 remaining. Minnesota made 4-of-8 three-pointers in the first eight minutes of the second half.
A layup by Grove narrowed the lead to 51-47 with 10:19 left, but the Wolverines responded with a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 60-47. Grove hit a deep two to end the run, but Cason made his fourth three-pointer of the night to give Michigan a 14-point lead. Reynolds banked in a three-pointer to cut it to 63-62, but McKenney made his fourth trey, improving the Wolverines to 8-of-12 from deep in the second half. Michigan's lead grew to 70-52 before Tyson's fifth triple with 5:08 remaining. Tyson added a pair of free throws, Durkin knocked down a three, and Reynolds drove full court for a layup to make it a 10-3 Minnesota run, cutting the lead to 73-62 with 3:03 left. The Wolverines extended the lead back to 15 points, but Durkin hit his fourth three and Grove added a layup with 0:26 left to trim the final margin to 10.
The Gophers return home to play UCLA on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tipoff from Williams Arena is set for 1 p.m. The game will be televised on FS1.