The Gophers men’s basketball team had plenty of chances to beat Ohio State on Monday, but at the end of regulation and to close the first overtime, Minnesota’s own mishaps allowed the Buckeyes to outlast them, 89-88, in a double-overtime defeat at Williams Arena.

Up 64-62 in regulation, Gophers veteran Parker Fox left Buckeyes forward Devin Royal wide open near the basket, and his dunk tied the game with five seconds left. That was a royal mess-up.

Dawson Garcia committed his fifth foul on the play, giving Royal a chance for the winning free-throw. But he missed it, and two Buckeyes couldn’t convert on two more shot attempts, a baseline jumper and a putback.

Up 73-71 in the first overtime, inexperienced U forward Kadyn Betts intentionally fouled in the backcourt, allowing the Buckeyes’ John Mobley Jr. to make both free throws. You can bet that wasn’t advised.

The Buckeyes outscored Minnesota 10-5 in the second overtime to send Minnesota to an o-4 start in Big Ten play for the first time since 2022-23 — when it finished 2-17 in league play.

The Gophers (8-7, 0-4 Big Ten) shot an abysmal 12 for 29 from the free-throw line (44%), while Ohio State (10-5, 2-2) was able to hang around making 29 of 33 (88%).

Parker Fox scored 21 points, a high in a Gophers uniform, including a baseline floater with a minute left in overtime. Isaac Asuma scored a career high 18 points, while Garcia had only five points on 2 of 9 shooting.

The Gophers were locked in a close game with No. 20 Purdue for 30 minutes on Thursday, before falling apart in a 20-point loss.

On Monday, Minnesota was competitive for all 40 minutes and then five more. Given the three blowouts to start Big Ten play, that could have been an improvement before the late blunders.

Garcia battled foul trouble with his third picked up on the first defensive possession of the second half, and he didn’t score until 14 minutes remained in the game.

The Gophers took a 28-27 lead at the half, which was even more positive considering leading scorer Garcia was held without a point on 0-for-6 shooting in 13 minutes.

Fox led all scorers with 11 points and outscored Ohio State by himself, 7-6 in the opening three-plus minutes. The energetic forward started hot, going 3 for 3 from the field, including a 3-point play to provide all of the early offense. He kept cutting to the basket and was rewarded with more finishes at the rim.

Minnesota’s defense forced the Buckeyes to shoot 33 percent, including 1 of 9 to end the first half. Royal led Ohio State with eight points in the opening 20 minutes.

Briefly

Gophers and Buckeyes players wore pregame shooting shirts to raise awareness in finding a cure for ALS and the Hoops for ALS cause. Former Gophers forward Jim Shikenjanski’s wife Rebecca was diagnosed with ALS in 2022 and passed away Nov. 30; he shared her story at halftime on KTLK-AM. The Stillwater family has four children, including Max, a quarterback on the U’s football team. … Minnesota will go on the road for three of their next four games, starting with Wisconsin (12-3, 2-2) in Madison on Friday night. … Femi Odukale had a scary moment in the second half. After a drive to the basket, the senior guard’s momentum took him off The Barn’s raised raised floor. His upper body crashed into a metal railing. He then went to the bench, but didn’t return to the court until the second overtime.

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