Minnesota’s Dawson Garcia to be focal point for Central Michigan

Dawson Garcia is Minnesota’s leader on both ends of the court.His teammates know it. His opponents know it, too.That is why opposing teams are doing anything they can to limit Garcia’s impact for Minnesota early in the season. The trend likely will continue when the Golden Gophers (4-1) host Central Michigan (3-2) on Monday night in Minneapolis.”Obviously, we know he’s going to be the focal point,” Minnesota coach Ben Johnson said. “Other guys do have to step up. You’ve got to take some pressure off of him a little bit.”Garcia leads the Golden Gophers with 23 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He is shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from 3-point range.Nobody else on Minnesota is averaging double digits in scoring, although four players have posted at least 6.5 points per game. The list of secondary scorers includes Brennan Rigsby (8.6 ppg), Parker Fox (7.8), Lu’Cye Patterson (7.2) and Mike Mitchell Jr. (6.5).Central Michigan is looking for its third win in a row. The Chippewas are coming off back-to-back wins against George Mason and Division II Central State.

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