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MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Presumably, Minnesota coach Dan Monson will not apologize to Golden Gopher fans after his team's latest victory.

Michael Bauer's 3-pointer at the buzzer lifted 22nd-ranked Minnesota to a 72-69 triumph over No. 18 Georgia.

After the Golden Gophers turned in a lackluster effort in their season-opening 87-81 win over North Carolina-Asheville on Sunday, Monson left a message on the team's web site for their fans, saying "Although we were not pleased with how we finished our opener, it was good to start with a victory."

Monson was happy enough after Saturday's win, which made him the eighth coach in Golden Gopher history to win 50 games at the school.

"There was one common goal tonight and that was to win," he said. "Everything else had to get put aside. The guys had a good mind-set for that. We are not perfect. I think this time of year, it's great to win this game, but you have to measure yourself on improvements. I'm pleased with the win."

Georgia tied the game on a 3-pointer by Jarvis Hayes with 15 seconds left. But after a timeout, Bauer beat the buzzer with a jumper from the top of the key that rolled in.

"The last play obviously was not the way it was designed," said Bauer, who finished 10 points. "Kevin (Burleson) had the ball and was trying to drive into the lane with (it). He ended up passing it to me. I took one look at the clock and knew I had to get the shot off. The ball just hung on the rim and went in. It seemed like it was there forever and, when it dropped, it did not seem real.

"I love playing in games that go down to the wire. Making that shot was a lot of fun."

Maurice Hargrow had 15 points and eight rebounds for Minnesota (2-0).

"This was good for us to show that we could hang in and battle with a team this tough," Hargrow said. "We are very happy to win this game against a team of Georgia's caliber. However, we cannot be satisfied. We need to be greedy and continue to want to win and improve every game that we play."

Minnesota had trouble closing against the Bulldogs, as well, squandering a 10-point lead.

Hayes led Georgia with 21 points and Ezra Williams had 13.

"This was a great ballgame today," Bulldogs coach Jim Harrick said. "They jumped on us early, we fought back and they made a very difficult shot to win the game under very heavy pressure."

The Bulldogs (1-3) fell to 0-2 on their difficult five-game road trip. They still have games at Colorado and California as well as a neutral-site game with Gonzaga.

Burleson gave Minnesota a 67-61 lead with 1:39 left, but Georgia went on an 8-2 spurt to tie the game on Hayes' long-range jumper.

Burleson netted 14 points and Ben Johnson 11 for the Golden Gophers, who shot 43 percent (23-of-54) and were outrebounded, 38-36.

Rick Rickert, who entered the game averaging 26 points per game for Minnesota, managed just 12.

"(He) was the focus of our defense," Harrick said. "I think if you let him get 20, 25, or 30 points you are most likely going to lose. I think by us focusing on him so much, it made other people beat us and that's what they did. They got very good distribution from other people that will make them a better team in the long run."

Chris Daniels and Rashad Wright each chipped in 11 points for Georgia, which lost at Georgia Tech on Wednesday.