Ben Johnson hopes Gophers bring better energy in rematch against Penn State

Ben Johnson paced the sidelines Tuesday night, scratching his head, wondering how long his Gophers men's basketball team could hold a lead at Ohio State without much intensity.

The fact that the Gophers were even ahead by two points at halftime in Columbus was hard to explain, but their opponent's lack of execution in the first half was a major factor.

Once the Buckeyes made a few plays and got their home crowd engaged, the momentum swung quickly and decisively in Minnesota's 70-45 loss. The Gophers were outscored 47-20 in the second half.

"Against a good team, you can't play like that," Johnson said. "We don't have a lot of room for error. When we try to ease into it and we're flat and don't have that juice, it's going to be tough for us."

Starting a three-game stretch in five days lacking energy wasn't a good sign for the Gophers, especially when they're playing Penn State for the second time in three games Thursday in State College, Pa.

The first meeting was rescheduled after being postponed on Jan. 19 because of COVID-19 issues within Minnesota's program.

"It's a quick turnaround," said senior Luke Loewe, who had a team-high 12 points at Ohio State. "We just played them, so they're going to be hungry. We have to flip the script here and make some adjustments."

The Gophers (12-11, 3-11 Big Ten) ended a five-game losing streak with Saturday's 76-70 victory against Penn State. After the U's first win in nearly three weeks, Johnson was captured in a photo posted on social media dousing his players, mainly Loewe, with a bucket of water.

"I thought about going to Target and getting a Super Soaker," Johnson joked on Monday. "Those guys have gotten me a couple times this year. So I wanted to get them back a little bit. And I think, too, just to lighten the mood.

"Obviously, these are the dog days. And we're in a tough stretch, and I want those guys to enjoy every single win because it's so hard."

Minnesota's players sprayed Johnson with water bottles after his first Big Ten win Dec. 11 at Michigan. That was the last time the Gophers won on the road. They opened the season 4-0 in games away from the Barn, starting with two neutral-site victories in the Asheville Championship in North Carolina.

Johnson's newcomer-laden team really started to gain national attention after winning at Pittsburgh and at Mississippi State before the statement game in Ann Arbor.

Losing their sixth consecutive Big Ten road game Tuesday wasn't just about the Gophers' inability to generate their own energy away from home.

They've played one of the toughest schedules with five road games against teams in the NET ranking's top 50. They've also allowed poor shooting to zap their effort defensively, including Tuesday when starters Payton Willis, Eric Curry and E.J. Stephens combined to score only seven points on 3-for-21 shooting.

The Nittany Lions scored 70 points and shot 55% from the field and still lost to the Gophers last weekend, but they'll be even more confident Thursday coming off a win against Michigan State at home.

"We played well as a team against Penn State," Loewe said. "We were clicking. Things were going well for us. Being at home is nice, but now the challenge for us is going to be on the road. It's going to be a tougher battle and we're going to have to definitely bring it."