Williams Arena was humming on Saturday afternoon, and the Gophers men’s basketball team was the surprising reason why. That environment was a mirage two weeks ago. Coming off two straight wins in the past 10 days, Minnesota fans had been given something to cheer about, and the U building a 18-point first-half lead on 15th-ranked Oregon added to the buzz. The Ducks came back, but the Barn’s best crowd of the season was treated to a thrilling 77-69 win. Coupled with an upset of No. 20 Michigan on Jan. 16, the U has two straight Top 25 wins, and with a victory at Iowa — its first since 2015 — they have won three in a row. That statement didn’t seem plausible two weeks ago. After the final whistle, students within the announced crowd of 11,062 rushed the court. The Gophers (11-9, 3-6 Big Ten) handed the Ducks (16-4, 5-4) their first road loss in conference play after an 4-0 start. Dawson Garcia poured in 31 points and added an exclamation point with a dunk in the final seconds, adding to his Big Ten-best 13th 20-point performance this season. Parker Fox produced a double double — 13 points and 11 rebounds — and fouled out with 1:33 remaining in the game. The Gophers won in the paint. Center Nathan Bittle, who was Oregon’s leading scorer at 13.6 points per game, did not score Saturday. Minnesota also out-rebounded Oregon 35-26, including 10-4 on the offensive glass. The Gophers’ scorching shooting start built a 26-8 lead after the first eight minutes. Oregon chipped away at the lead, including a 9-0 run, but Minnesota weathered it and never trailed in the first half. Both teams shot over 50% from the field and from 3-point range in the first half. Minnesota held Oregon to 36% shooting in the second half. Garcia’s 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting led Minnesota to a 44-38 lead at the break. Brandon Angel led all scorers with 15 points in the opening 20 minutes. Femi Odukale made a couple of early buckets to boost the early run, but forced a few shots and had three misses, including a turned ankle on the last one. He limped to the bench but returned just before halftime. Saturday’s game was the first Big Ten matchup between the two teams. The programs had not played since a 75-72 Minnesota win in 2001. Minnesota will face another Top 25 team on the road at No. 8 Michigan State (17-2, 8-0) on Tuesday night. The Spartans remained the only undefeated team in the conference with a 81-74 win over Rutgers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Related Articles College Sports | Bigger contributions from Gophers men’s basketball transfers propel two recent wins College Sports | Gophers men’s basketball hold off Iowa rally for second straight win College Sports | Men’s basketball: With health and a Top 25 win, now is time for Gophers to go ‘full blast’ College Sports | Dawson Garcia’s overtime buzzer-beater sends Gophers to win over ranked Michigan College Sports | Gophers can’t close out Maryland in a 77-71 loss