Gophers go scoreless from the field in final six minutes in 70-68 loss to Missouri

Ben Johnson's Gophers had no Big Ten-ACC Challenge, no Gavitt Games and no preconference basketball tournament to play this season.

Missouri wasn't only the first big test. This was the U's only major conference opponent outside the Big Ten and biggest nonconference matchup at Williams Arena.

Just when it seemed like the moment to make a statement, the Gophers saw a hot start and 20-point lead against an SEC foe turn into a monumental collapse in a deflating 70-68 loss against the Tigers in front of 7,975 fans Thursday night.

"This game was really good for us, especially early in the year," Johnson said. "There's going to be a game down the line in league play where we have the lead and have to handle it better ... Those are the tough growing pains."

The Gophers (2-1) were held scoreless from the field in the last six minutes, but they led 59-39 with 11:25 left in the second half. That wouldn't be enough of a cushion.

Forcing 16 turnovers, Missouri outscored Minnesota 31-9 to finish. The Tigers were led by their senior guards, but Johnson put the ball in the hands of a freshman in crunch time.

With starting point guard Elijah Hawkins on the bench, Cam Christie's errant jumper with 21 seconds left gave Missouri a chance to take control. Sean East II was held to nine points, but his three-point play with nine seconds left gave his team its first lead of the night to seal the comeback win. Nick Honor also had 13 of his team-high 16 points in the second half for the Tigers (3-1).

"Credit to Missouri who kept with it," said forward Dawson Garcia, who led the Gophers with 16 points and nine rebounds. "When you're playing a high-major basketball team, [you] can't take your foot off the gas and can't take your attention away from the details."

Garcia hit one of two free throws for a 68-67 advantage with 1:25 to go. Christie, who had 18 points in his freshman debut last week, struggled in his second game with two points on 0-for-4 shooting from the field, including a missed three-pointer to win it as time expired.

"We liked the mismatch," Johnson said on going with Christie late in the game. "We got to get him to go downhill. We just have to learn from that."

The Gophers outrebounded Missouri 44-28, but they shot only 1-for-9 from three-point range in the second half after barely missing to open the game.

In the first half, the Gophers couldn't have started better offensively. They opened 7-for-8 from the field, including four of five starters combining to shoot 5-for-5 from three-point range. There was definitely a carryover in confidence from the 14 threes they hit in the 102-76 win vs. Texas San Antonio last week.

The Gophers had a five-minute scoring drought in the first half, but they still led 38-32 at halftime. After missing last week's game vs. UTSA because of a foot injury, Pharrel Payne came off the bench to score six of his 10 points in seven minutes in the first half. Payne's block also gave the Gophers momentum going into halftime.

Last season, the 9-22 Gophers might have been overmatched against the Tigers, who won 25 games and won an NCAA tournament game for the first time since 2010. Second-year Missouri coach Dennis Gates applauded Johnson for adding more talent to the roster — and it showed Thursday, but not enough for a signature win.

The Gophers are now 0-4 against major conference opponents during their nonleague schedule in the past two seasons, including losses to DePaul and Mississippi State last year.

The rest of the non-league home schedule won't be as big of a draw as Missouri, but the Gophers hope they can use Thursday's blown lead as motivation to finish in the future.

"We just got to stick with it," said Braeden Carrington, who had a team-high 13 rebounds. "We had the energy. We had the momentum. We got on our heels. We just have to learn how to play with a lead. We've got to handle pressure better, obviously."