North Texas upsets Minnesota men in thrilling exhibition

Golden Gophers begin Eric Curry era with 78-74 exhibition loss to Mean Green

Despite a strong performance from Dawson Garcia, North Texas made key plays down the stretch to secure the upset

MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team dropped their exhibition opener in dramatic fashion on Monday night, falling 78-74 to the North Texas Mean Green at Williams Arena.

Dawson Garcia led the way for the Gophers with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Jamison Battle added 18 points, while Braeden Carrington chipped in 11 off the bench.

North Texas was led by Tylor Perry, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Javion Hamlet added 16 points, and Mardrez McBride scored 15.

The game was close throughout, with neither team leading by more than six points at any point. North Texas took a 40-37 lead into halftime, but the Gophers came out firing in the second half and took a 51-45 lead with 14:30 remaining.

However, the Mean Green would not go away. They chipped away at the lead and eventually tied the game at 64-64 with 4:30 remaining. North Texas then took the lead for good on a three-pointer by Hamlet with 3:00 remaining.

The Gophers had a chance to tie the game with 10 seconds remaining, but Battle's three-point attempt rimmed out. North Texas grabbed the rebound and sealed the win with a pair of free throws.

The exhibition loss was a disappointing start to the Eric Curry era at Minnesota, but there were some positives to take away. Garcia looked like a star in the making, and the Gophers showed some toughness in battling back from a halftime deficit.

The Gophers will open the regular season on Monday, November 7, when they host Western Michigan at Williams Arena.