With three strong victories, the Minnesota basketball program is suddenly looking like a winner.

The Golden Gophers improved to 5-0 overall with a dramatic 74-70 win over West Virginia in the finals of the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off Sunday in San Juan. Minnesota completed its run to the championship with victories over Western Kentucky, North Carolina and the Mountaineers.

Minnesota shot a 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining, but Al Nolen’s chance to put the Golden Gophers up by six missed when time ran down and Minnesota was whistled for a shot clock violation. Coach Roy Huggins called timeout with 24.2 seconds to go to set up a play, but Casey Mitchell’s 3-point try didn’t go and there was a tussle underneath the basket.

Freshman guard Chip Armelin was fouled in the tussle and made free throw with 4.5 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Minnesota returns home to face North Dakota State on Wednesday, while West Virginia (3-1) is off until it faces Virginia Military on Saturday.