Ben Johnson’s Gophers were starting to hear a different narrative about them forming early in Big Ten play. Their seven-game winning streak was the longest in the league entering Friday’s game at Indiana.
There were still doubters. There have always been doubters since Johnson’s program finished at the bottom of the conference in back-to-back seasons.
With a chance to keep their streak alive Friday night, the Gophers were overmatched in the frontcourt and couldn’t overcome a bad shooting night from their starters in a 74-62 loss to the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall.
The Gophers (12-4, 3-2 Big Ten) were tied with Illinois and Northwestern for second place in the Big Ten, but they lost for the third time in four games away from home this season. They haven’t won in Bloomington, Ind., since 2012.
Pharrel Payne scored 12 of his 17 points, to go along with 10 rebounds and five blocks, in the first half off the bench. Minnesota, though, saw its starters shoot just 5-for-19 combined in the opening period. Dawson Garcia had 13 of his 14 points in the second half.
The Hoosiers (12-5, 4-2) entered the game with arguably the most talented frontcourt in the Big Ten behind Malik Reneau and Ke’el Ware, but Johnson decided to stick with his smaller starting lineup.
That game plan backfired with the U giving up 38 points in the paint. The 7-foot Ware made his impact with 17 points and 14 rebounds. McKenzie Mgbako had 14 of his career-high 19 points in the first half to spark Indiana’s 41-31 halftime advantage. Reneau had 14 of his 16 points in the second half.
By the time Payne came off the bench in the first half, Garcia already picked up two fouls having to deal with the size of Ware, Reneau and Mgbako.
Payne’s inside presence made a difference to fuel an 11-0 run. Cam Christie’s three-pointer cut the deficit to 28-23 around the six-minute mark, but the Gophers wouldn’t get any closer.
Johnson’s team had made big second-half comebacks during the win streak. The Gophers picked up all three Big Ten victories so far this season after trailing at halftime, including last week’s 73-71 win at Michigan.
Trying to limit Indiana’s post play, the Gophers switched back and forth from playing man to zone defense, but they avoided the seemingly obvious adjustment.
In the second half, Johnson stuck with the same starting lineup with Payne on the bench. The Hoosiers immediately took advantage by going through Ware inside. He scored six points during a 15-4 run that was capped by Trey Galloway’s three-pointer to make it 56-35.
Garcia and Payne played more together once Indiana began pulling away in the second half, but they struggled to find the chemistry. That might be a frontcourt tandem worth developing to remain competitive in league play moving forward.
Garcia and Payne scored 10 straight points combined to help the Gophers battle back, including Payne’s tipped basket to cut the U deficit to 69-58 with two minutes to play.
The lack of outside shooting to complement the Gophers’ inside resurgence kept them from making a significant rally. They combined to shoot just 3-for-20 from three-point range Friday.
During the seven-game win streak, Minnesota leaned a lot on its starting backcourt of Elijah Hawkins, Mike Mitchell Jr., and Cam Christie. The newcomer trio were all three-point shooting threats and shared ballhandling duties. They struggled mightily Friday combining for just 12 points on 4-for-28 shooting combined.
The Gophers, who shot just 39% and committed 14 turnovers, will look to regroup with a quick turnaround Monday at home against Iowa.
The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.