Gophers’ dramatic comeback at Cincinnati offers early glimpse of their potential

Gophers guard Bobby Durkin’s slump ended at the perfect time. Durkin, who was 1-for-5 from 3-point range in the Gophers’ win over St. Thomas on Friday, was 0-for-5 from 3 before the final second of Monday night’s 63-61 win against the Bearcats. Trailing 61-60 with five seconds left, guard Isaac Asuma corralled a missed free throw by Bearcats guard MJ Collins and fired a cross-court pass to Durkin. Durkin drained the triple with a fraction of a second left, lifting Minnesota (3-0) to its third straight win to start coach Niko Medved’s second season . Guard Kyan Evans led all scorers with a career-high 26 points, including nine in his first six minutes, swapping buckets with Bearcats guard Tylen Riley, who finished with 25 points. Advertisement View post on X Evans led Minnesota to a win that Medved hopes “can make a difference on Selection Sunday,” referring to a potential NCAA tournament berth. “Sometimes the basketball gods work in your favor,” Medved told the KTLK radio broadcast afterward, “and they did today.” Bobby Durkin helps Gophers close strong in Cincinnati Durkin’s three-pointer capped a 9-0 Gophers run to close the game. Minnesota trailed 61-54 with 2:37 left when Gophers forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson responded with a dynamic drive to the paint and layup to cut the deficit to 61-56. Crocker-Johnson’s aggressiveness led to him fouling out with 1:35 left when he was called for a charge.