Gophers sophomore big man Pharrel Payne, who leads the team in blocks, will miss Saturday’s game at Penn State with a back injury.
Payne averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and a team-best 1.6 blocks this season. The Gophers had started him in the last two games in the frontcourt with leading scorer Dawson Garcia.
“It’s one of those things that he’s done a good job playing through discomfort,” Gophers coach Ben Johnson said Friday. “He tells me when he can go and when he can’t go. He won’t probably be fully good until the end of the season when he’s able to take multiple weeks off.”
The 6-9 Cottage Grove native had been listed as questionable for the third straight game Saturday, but Payne played 25 and 30 minutes in losses against Michigan State and Wisconsin, respectively.
In a Jan. 12 loss at Indiana, Payne tied a career-high with 17 points, to go with 10 rebounds and five blocks off the bench. But he scored just 19 points combined on 6-for-19 shooting in the last three games.
“When it’s in the spot it’s in now, rest is going to be the biggest cure,” Johnson said. “How do you rest during the season? It’s so hard. We tried to do what we can practice-wise to limit reps.”
Injuries have plagued the Gophers lately with starting point guard Elijah Hawkins missing last week’s loss at Michigan State with an ankle injury. Garcia also missed three games earlier this season recovering from an ankle sprain.
Joshua Ola-Joseph, who had his streak of 42 straight starts snapped Tuesday vs. Wisconsin, returns to the starting lineup Saturday to replace Payne. The 6-7 sophomore had just two points in a season-low five minutes against the Badgers.
