Minnesota wasn’t known for its three-point shooting entering the NCAA Tournament, but it proved to be huge on Thursday.

Gabe Kalscheur accounted for five of Minnesota’s 11 made three-point attempts, leading the Gophers to an 86-76 victory over Louisville in the Round of 64. It was the first time Minnesota has registered an NCAA Tournament win since the 2013 season.

Entering Thursday’s game, Minnesota averaged just five three-point buckets per game, more than doubling its season total against Louisville. Kalscheur led the way with 24 points in the victory, as all five starters reached double figures for the Gophers.

Amir Coffey and Jordan Murphy each scored 18 points in the win and Daniel Oturu and Dupree McBrayer both had 13. The Gophers did not have any bench points on their way to the victory.

Minnesota jumped out to a 38-33 lead at halftime and started hot in the second half. In the first five minutes, the Gophers built a 50-38 lead and then went on another 12-5 run to take a 62-43 advantage, essentially sealing the win.

Louisville did make a final push near the end of the game, closing the gap to 76-69 with two minutes left. Minnesota protected the basketball and hit clutch free throws down the stretch to close out the game.

The Gophers had one of their better shooting days of the season, knocking down 50 percent of their shots from the field, including an 11-of-27 outing from three-point range. Minnesota only five turnovers in 40 minutes.

Thursday marked the first NCAA Tournament win for Minnesota under head coach Richard Pitino. And how fitting that it came against Louisville, where he was once an assistant coach and where his father lost his job in college basketball.

That has to feel good.

Along with the win, Murphy also moved up to No. 2 on Minnesota’s all-time scoring list, passing Willie Burton.

Minnesota will now play the winner of Michigan State-Bradley in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gophers have not reached the Sweet 16 since advancing to the Final Four in 1997.