Dawson Garcia returns but Gophers men fall to Penn State 76-69 for ninth loss in row

Gophers coach Ben Johnson didn't know when his leading scorer Dawson Garcia would return from injury during the past few weeks.

Johnson grew tired of using Garcia's absence as an excuse for why his men's basketball team struggled to stay competitive in the Big Ten during the Gophers' longest losing streak in seven years.

Health finally wasn't an issue Saturday night. And energy and excitement returned to the program, even in defeat.

Back in the starting lineup, Garcia looked as if he never left. He scored 14 of his team-high 23 points in the first half. Freshman Pharrel Payne also had a career night with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but the Gophers' losing streak still stretched to nine games after falling 76-69 to Penn State in front of an announced 11,693 at Williams Arena.

"When you continue to see guys out it can be deflating," Johnson said. "When you see guys back that uplifts everybody. It gives everybody a sense of confidence when you come with more of a loaded deck."

The Gophers (7-17, 1-13 Big Ten) played without Garcia for five games because of a bone bruise injury to his right foot, which he suffered late in second half in a Jan. 22 loss at Michigan.

Coming off his 41-point performance Tuesday against Illinois, Jalen Picket scored 32 points for the Nittany Lions, who won at the Barn for the first time since 2015.

Fans haven't seen a conference home victory yet this season. That elusive victory seemed within grasp when Garcia and Payne looked the part of a legit Big Ten frontcourt combining for 41 points and 17 rebounds. The Gophers outrebound Penn State 33-31 and scored 40 points in the paint.

"It felt good to be back with the guys," said Garcia, who was cleared after shootaround earlier Saturday. "It was just trusting the coaches and trainers. Spending a lot of time getting in extra conditioning, so I could keep up with the pace of the game."

The Nittany Lions (16-11, 7-9), who are still playing for an NCAA tournament berth, led 45-35 at halftime, but they lost control going 0-for-11 to start the second half. Payne's second straight bully-ball layup made it 50-48 Gophers around the 13-minute mark.

Payne's confidence soared Saturday after he started the first four games of his career when Garcia was sidelined. The Gophers were forced to lean more on freshmen. And they looked far from intimidated against the Big Ten's most experienced team Saturday.

Penn State regrouped from a horrid shooting start to take a 63-54 lead, but Payne scored his 13th straight point on an alley-oop dunk to cut it down to a six-point deficit with 6:19 to play.

"I'd say I took a step confidence-wise," said Payne, who also had six assists. "I had to go head-to-head with other bigs and I was the option."

Garcia ended his young teammate's scoring streak with a floater. Payne followed with a three-point play to get within 67-64, but Penn State wouldn't allow the upset.

The first half Saturday resembled Garcia's breakout 28-point game in the Jan. 12 win at Ohio State. The former Prior Lake star scored 12 of 14 points in one stretch for the Gophers, who twice took the lead before halftime.

Freshman Joshua Ola-Joseph took pressure off Garcia early after he scored eight of the U's first 10 points. The momentum shifted, though, when Garcia picked his second foul late in the first half on a charge call. It was the first of a few hard falls where he got up limping, but Garcia said it was just from banging knees.

Freshman guard Braeden Carrington missed seven games because of a stress reaction in his leg, but he was also back on Saturday for the Gophers, who showed more promise in another loss than they had all Big Ten season at home.

They will have a quick turnaround playing the postponed COVID-19 game on Monday at Illinois, but Garcia sees potential now that the Gophers are healthier.

"We want to finish the year on the right note with some wins," he said. "Always want to be on an upward trajectory."