Minnesota
Elijah Hawkins scores career-high 24 points to help lead Minnesota over Ohio State 88-79
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Elijah Hawkins scored 17 of his career-high 24 points in the second half, Dawson Garcia had 22 points and nine rebounds and Minnesota defeated Ohio State 88-79 on Thursday night.
Hawkins hit three of his four 3-pointers in the second half and finished with seven assists. Pharrel Payne added 15 points for the Golden Gophers (17-9, 8-7), who shot 50%, including 8 of 19 from the arc and outrebounded the Buckeyes 32-26 in gaining a split of the season series.
Bruce Thornton scored 25 points to lead Ohio State (15-12, 5-11). Jamison Battle, who played for the Gophers the previous two seasons, returned to Williams Arena as an opponent for the first time and scored 21 points. Roddy Gayle Jr. added 13 points. The Buckeyes shot 51% but cooled off from the arc in the second half at 2 of 12.
Ohio State was coming off a 73-69 win over then-No. 2 Purdue on Sunday in Jake Diebler’s first game as interim head coach following the firing of Chris Holtmann. But the Buckeyes went down to their 17th straight road loss, setting a program record. They haven’t won a true road game since beating Northwestern 73-57 on Jan. 1 2023.
Minnesota never trailed and led 42-34 at halftime. Midway through the second half, Hawkins and Cam Christie hit consecutive 3-pointers to kick off a 15-5 run that gave the Gophers their largest lead of 17 with five minutes to go. Ohio State wouldn’t get closer than seven thereafter, that coming on Battle’s fifth 3-pointer with 18 seconds left.
Mike Mitchell Jr. and Garcia combined for the Golden Gophers’ first 12 points and a 14-4 lead. The lead reached 13 before the Buckeyes rallied behind Battle and Scotty Middleton, who had a pair of 3s apiece in a 21-8 run to tie with five minutes left in the first half. The Gophers closed the half on a 10-2 run.
Felix Okpara blocked a shot for 33rd straight game, passing Greg Oden for second-best in Buckeyes history. He trails Ken Johnson (40).
Ohio State plays at Michigan State and Minnesota is at Nebraska in games Sunday.
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Minnesota
Jarren Duran directs obscene gesture toward fan at Minnesota and says fan told him to kill himself
MINNEAPOLIS — Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran directed an obscene gesture toward a fan at Target Field as he returned to the dugout after a fifth-inning groundout in Boston’s 6-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Duran, who has spoken about his past struggles with mental health, said a fan made a personal comment that crossed the line.
“Somebody just told me to kill myself,” Duran said. “I’m used to it at this point, you know? I mean, (expletive) happens. I mean, I’m gonna flip somebody off if they say something to me, but it is what it is. I shouldn’t react like that, but that kind of stuff is still kind of triggering.”
Duran discussed bouts with severe depression and a suicide attempt in a Netflix series that debuted last year.
“Honestly, it’s my fault for talking about my mental health because I kind of brought in the haters. So I’ve just got to get used to it,” Duran said. “I was just trying to hold it in and not really bring that up to the team. I mean, we’re trying to win a game. I shouldn’t even bring that up to anybody. … It just happens.”
Boston manager Alex Cora said he didn’t witness the incident and hadn’t reviewed video of it.
Minnesota
AJR Brings Their Catchy Pop Hits To The Minnesota State Fair in 2026
ST. PAUL (WJON News) — A multiplatinum indie pop trio will grace the stage of the Great Minnesota Get Together this summer. AJR will hit the stage at the Minnesota State Fair on Wednesday, September 2nd. The trio has generated billions of streams and four platinum singles, along with being one of the 500 most listened to artists on Spotify.
AJR will be joined by Quinn XCII (92) and Avery Cochrane. Quinn XCII (92) blends pop, alternative, and genre-bending storytelling and has garnered multiple platinum singles like “Straightjacket.” Tickets for AJR go on sale at 10:00 a.m. on Friday.
9 grandstand shows have now been announced for the 2026 state fair.
AJR joins Bonnie Raitt, “Weird” Al Yankovic, Sierra Ferrell, Tommy James & The Shondells with special guest Herman Hermit’s Peter Noone, Rod Stewart with Richard Marx, Brad Paisley, and the It’s Iconic tour with TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue as acts announced for the 2026 state fair.
Minnesota State Fair
READ MORE FROM AUTHOR PAUL HABSTRITT
2025 Minnesota State Fair
The Great Minnesota Get Together is a rite of passage, and the first sign that summer is coming to an end. 2025 saw perfect weather for the entire 12-day run of the Minnesota State Fair.
Gallery Credit: Paul Habstritt
Kansas and Jefferson Starship at The Ledge
Two classic rock legends in Kansas and Jefferson Starship brought down the house at the Ledge Amphitheater in 2025.
Gallery Credit: Paul Habstritt
Turnpike Troubadours at the Ledge
The American Country Band Turnpike Troubadours took the stage at the Ledge Amphitheater in Waite Park with their “Wild America” tour and special guest Old Crow Medicine Show.
Gallery Credit: Paul Habstritt
Minnesota
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