Expecting to see a Big Ten contender only three games into Ben Johnson's second season while missing preseason all-leaguer Jamison Battle would be far-fetched for even the most diehard Gophers basketball fan.
Still, the Williams Arena crowd scratched their heads at what they were watching early Monday against DePaul when the Gophers suffered through a seven-minute scoring drought with 12 straight misses.
Fans even cheered during one possession to see if their support might spark the players to score. That didn't work, either. The Gophers scored just 22 points on an abysmal 27% shooting in the first half.
A much older, physically superior Big East squad overwhelmed its younger Big Ten foe from beginning to end, ending the Gophers' 16-game nonconference home win streak with a 69-53 victory in front of an announced 8,426 at the Barn.
"Everybody was very disappointed," said sophomore Dawson Garcia, who finished with 14 of his 19 points in the second half after a 1-for-7 start. "There's two things we can do: either lay down or come to practice ready to go tomorrow and ready to attack the day."
The Gophers (2-1), who hadn't lost at home to a non-Big Ten foe since DePaul in 2019, seemed helpless trying to keep the Blue Demons off the glass while giving up 20 offensive boards and 36 points in the paint.
Johnson went from six seniors in the rotation last season to four freshmen and two sophomores this year. The Blue Demons (3-0) had a starting lineup averaging 22.6 years of age, the oldest roster among major programs and fifth oldest in Division I. Most of the younger Gophers had never faced this type of size and athleticism. It was their first major conference opponent.
"They needed to go through this," Johnson said. "It's never fun to lose. It's never fun to get exposed like we did rebounding [48-32], especially on the offensive glass with the physicality and the presence. But we need to use this as a major chance to grow as a team."
Freshman Pharrel Payne scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half on 5-for-5 shooting, but the rest of his teammates were 3-for-25 from the field in the opening period. Payne was held to two shots in the second half, but he hasn't missed the last two games (12-for-12).
"The first half we were a little flat, but the second half we came out with a little more energy," Payne said. "That was a little boost to get back into the game."
Trailing 49-30 early in the second half, Garcia capped a 12-2 Gophers run with a three-pointer to cut the deficit under double figures for the first time since the shooting woes in the opening period.
Payne left the game with his third foul, but fellow freshman Joshua Ola-Joseph continued to battle on the glass with a putback to make it 57-49 with 6:13 to play.
The Gophers were nearly upset in a season-opening 61-60 win against Western Michigan when they missed 14 free throws. And those issues resurfaced Monday as they went 13-for-23 at the line, including key misses down the stretch.
Garcia was called for his second offensive charge in the second half under four minutes with the Gophers trailing by nine points, but the Blue Demons pulled away again with their dominance on the boards.
After DePaul's 18th and 19th offensive rebounds, Umoja Gibson and Javan Johnson scored five points to make it an 18-point margin. Johnson finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. Eral Penn had 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Minnesota Mr. Basketball Braeden Carrington made his Gophers debut coming off an ankle injury. Battle, the team's leading scorer and rebounder last season, will make the Gophers more experienced if he can return "hopefully sooner than later" after last month's foot surgery.
"I really do think he's in a really good spot," Johnson said on rehab. "Having to sit and watch is not enjoyable for him because he wants to be out there competing."
