Figuring out how to win in the Big Ten was something that always seemed to escape Ben Johnson’s Minnesota men’s basketball team, especially in the second half. Gophers fans sensed something might be different Thursday night as the game came down to the final minutes against No.

Dawson Garcia hit a buzzer-beater from the mid-court logo as time expired to lift Minnesota to an 84-81 overtime upset of No. 20 Michigan on Thursday night. The desperation heave sparked a frenzied celebration inside Williams Arena as the Gophers (10-9, 1-6 Big Ten) celebrated their first conference victory.

Garcia, whose two free throws with 7.4 seconds left sent it to overtime, spent much of the night banging on the inside at both ends of the floor against Michigan’s twin towers, 7-footers Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin. In fact, just before his buzzer beater, Garcia was taken to the hoop by Wolf for a layup tied it at 81 with seven seconds to play.