Gophers men’s basketball bounces back with victory over Central Michigan
How the Gophers men's basketball team responded after its first loss this season was an early sign of how Ben Johnson's players handle adversity.
The Gavitt Games loss earlier in the week at home snapped a 16-game nonconference home win streak, but the Gophers bounced back with a 68-60 win Thursday night against Central Michigan at Williams Arena.
Johnson easily could've had a kneejerk reaction and changed his starters after Monday's 69-53 loss against DePaul at the Barn, but he stuck with the same lineup for the fourth straight game.
The Gophers (3-1) led just 31-25 after nine turnovers in the first half, but they finally got the support they needed around Dawson Garcia, who 17 points and seven rebounds Thursday.
Johnson has relied heavily to start this season on Garcia, who leads the team with 17.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The Gophers averaged just 42.1 points with their starting lineup through three games, lowest in the Big Ten.
Jamison Battle, an All-Big Ten preseason forward, could make his season debut as soon as Monday's SoCal Challenge opener against Cal Baptist after making progress recovering from foot surgery.
But the Gophers have learned a lot about their team in Battle's absence.
They figured out different ways to get the 6-foot-11 Garcia shots in the offense from beyond the arc, off pick-and-rolls getting to the basket and in the paint. They've also been forced to establish other scoring options with younger players taking on bigger roles.
Sophomore Treyton Thompson, who has started at center, enjoyed his best game of the season with eight points, including a team-high six points in the first half Thursday.
Thompson's putback dunk and Jaden Henley's three-pointer helped the Gophers take a double-digit lead to open the second half against Central Michigan.
Henley, who had a team-best 16 points in a win Nov. 11 against St. Francis Brooklyn, was the first freshman to start the season opener since Daniel Oturu and Gabe Kalscheur during the 2018-19 season.
The Gophers needed to lean on Henley in the backcourt alongside transfer Ta'Lon Cooper because fellow freshman Braeden Carrington was sidelined with an ankle injury in the first two games.
Cooper finished with 12 points and eight assists. But Carrington, a Minnesota Mr. Basketball winner at Park Center, regrouped after going scoreless in his season debut against DePaul. He looked much more comfortable in his second appearance with 11 points and four rebounds in 24 minutes.
At one point in the second half, the Gophers had four freshmen on the floor at the same time with Henley, Carrington, Joshua Ola-Joseph and Pharrel Payne. They had trouble finishing off their opponent after a big lead, but they helped the Gophers overcome another tough rebounding night.
Payne and Ola-Joseph overpowered their defenders for consecutive dunks midway through the second half. Carrington's three-pointer gave the Gophers their biggest lead 57-38 around the seven-minute mark.
The Chippewas, who hoped to do what Western Michigan couldn't with a 61-60 loss in the Gophers opener, outrebounded their Big Ten opponent 43-38, including 22 offensive rebounds.
The Gophers, ranked last in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (minus-1.3), allowed 20 offensive boards against DePaul, but they managed to escape another loss with 24 bench points.
