Dawson Garcia delivered an impressive performance, netting 27 of his total 32 points in the second half as Minnesota pulled off a thrilling comeback to defeat UCLA 64-61 on Tuesday evening.

With just eight seconds remaining, Lu’Cye Patterson’s layup gave Minnesota a crucial lead at 62-61. Garcia then solidified the win by sinking two free throws with only 0.9 seconds left on the clock, while UCLA’s last-ditch effort fell well short.

In the final moments, UCLA’s Sebastian Mack was charged with an offensive foul while attempting to drive the lane, leaving only 1.3 seconds on the timer as the team trailed 62-61.

Patterson’s decisive moment came when he drove into the lane, bringing Minnesota its first lead at 60-59 with just 1:02 to go, capping off an impressive 11-2 run by the Gophers.

Alongside Garcia, Mike Mitchell Jr. contributed 14 points, and Patterson added 11 for Minnesota, who now stands at 14-12 overall and 6-9 in the Big Ten.

For UCLA, Mack, coming off the bench, scored 13 points, while Tyler Bilodeau and Kobe Johnson chipped in with 12 points each, leaving the Bruins with a record of 19-8 and 10-6 in conference play.

UCLA gained its first significant lead midway through the first half when Lazar Stefanovic’s jump shot pushed the score to 18-7. Following that, Mack ignited a 9-0 blitz, highlighted by his layup and a subsequent 3-pointer, which allowed the Bruins to extend their advantage to 29-12. However, Minnesota responded by narrowing the gap, outscoring UCLA 11-5 over the last five minutes of the first half to close it to 34-23.

After the break, Garcia and Mitchell quickly connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, cutting UCLA’s lead to five. Mitchell’s layup with 15:17 remaining in the game further trimmed the margin to just 36-33.

In their previous game against USC, Minnesota made a remarkable comeback from a 14-point deficit, fiercely competing for 35 minutes before scoring 40 points in the second half. In this matchup against UCLA, Minnesota overcame an even larger deficit of 17 points, trailing for 37 minutes while putting up 41 points after halftime.

Looking ahead, Minnesota will host Penn State on Saturday, while UCLA will welcome Ohio State on Sunday.