Minnesota has a history with UCLA in the NCAA Tournament, but Wednesday night was their first matchup ever matchup at Pauley Pavilion. The red-hot Gophers staged a 17-point comeback to leave L.A. with an impressive 64-61 win over the Bruins.

After UCLA let a 17-point first-half lead slip away in a stunning 64-61 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night, Coach Mick Cronin didn’t mince words. Frustrated and

Dawson Garcia scored a 27 of his season-high 32 points after halftime and Minnesota staged another dramatic rally this time beating UCLA 64-61.

The Gophers' Dawson Garcia plays the game near the rim Tuesday against UCLA, when he scored 32 points. (Brad Rempel/University of Minnesota)

Dawson Garcia had a season-high 32 points, 27 in the second half, as the Gophers beat UCLA 64-61 Tuesday night. The Gophers were down as many as 17 points in the first half; Lu'Cye Patterson had the game-winning lay-up with 7 seconds left.

Dawson Garcia scored 27 points in the second half to finish with a season-high 32 points and eight rebounds, his third 30-point game this season, and

Minnesota plays the Penn State Nittany Lions after Dawson Garcia scored 32 points in Minnesota's 64-61 victory over the UCLA Bruins

The Bruins miss 10 of their 15 free throws in the second half and squander a 17-point lead, as the Golden Gophers score the go-ahead layup with eight seconds left and hand them a 64-61 defeat.

The Gophers host Penn State on Saturday afternoon after Dawson Garcia scored 32 points in Minnesota’s 64-61 victory over the UCLA Bruins. Saturday’s game is the second meeting of the season between the two teams.

With some inspired play in the opening minutes, Mick Cronin’s players heeded his warning about Minnesota’s being better than its crummy record. They played suffocating defense, forcing four shot-clock violations before halftime. They shut down the Golden Gophers’ top player, holding Dawson Garcia to five points by the game’s midpoint.

UCLA's No.-1-ranked defense in the Big Ten forced Minnesota to go 4-14 from three and cough up 10 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. The Bruins led 34-23 heading into the break. Dawson Garcia with ...