The Gophers made it 78-76 with 3 : 51 remaining on a 3-pointer by Kevin Burleson.
Minnesota ( 17-10, 5-9 ) was led by Terrance Simmons with 23 points and Kevin Burleson with 14.
He is the son of former USFL player Alvin Burleson, and the younger brother of former National Basketball Association player Kevin Burleson.
At Minneapolis, Kevin Burleson scored a season-high 21 points, and Terrance Simmons added 16, all in the second half.
But not for Earl and his son, Kevin Burleson, both bass fishing guides on what has been called West Texas'premier trophy bass lake.
Kevin Burleson and Michael Bauer each hit 3-pointers to draw Minnesota ( 13-3, 1-2 ) to 73-72 with 33.9 seconds left.
The Gophers ( 16-8, 4-7 ), who had only six scholarship players in uniform, made it 78-76 with 3 : 51 remaining on a 3-pointer by Kevin Burleson.
Earl Burleson started it off with a near-5-pound bass he caught on the green plastic worm from a bush not far from the bank, and Kevin Burleson concluded the day's action with a near-4-pounder he caught on a jig he had pitched into a bush at the edge of a steep, rocky wall a few hours later.