Gophers lose to Iowa as losing streak reaches eight and Ben Johnson looks for 'small victories'

Ben Johnson's Gophers don't lead the Big Ten in many favorable categories, but being forced to lean a great deal on youth hasn't been all heartache for the second-year coach.

The Gophers men's basketball team leads the Big Ten with four freshmen averaging at least 18 minutes, including Jaden Henley, Joshua Ola-Joseph and Pharrel Payne, who combined for 27 points Sunday against Iowa in their first start together.

After a postponed game earlier in the week following a COVID-19 pause, the young Gophers impressed their coach. They battled their border rival Hawkeyes shorthanded Sunday afternoon before falling 68-56 in front of an announced crowd of 10,683 at Williams Arena.

"You find rewards in small victories within the game," Johnson said. "Like when we rolled out with the three young guys, and just to see them battle. I'm coaching them like they're juniors, which probably isn't fair. But I'm excited to make sure we finish this thing the right way."

The Gophers (7-16, 1-12 Big Ten) saw their losing streak reach eight games, the longest in the regular season since 2017-18. Leading scorer and rebounder Dawson Garcia missed his fifth game in a row because of a bone bruise.

Garcia's replacement inside, Payne, picked up his second foul three minutes into the game. The Hawkeyes (16-9, 8-6) immediately took advantage to pull ahead 18-6 after a foul on a Filip Rebraca putback, but the Gophers rallied behind freshmen to trail 32-29 at halftime.

Henley was in the starting lineup for the 10th time this season, but it was his first start since a Dec. 8 loss to Michigan. The 6-7 freshman from California had seven of his 10 points during an 16-6 run in the first half. That already tied for the most Henley scored since his season-high 16 points Nov. 11 against St. Francis (N.Y.).

In the second half, Ola-Joseph's three-pointer pulled the Gophers within 39-37 around the 17-minute mark. But Iowa's Kris Murray, who finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds, answered with five straight points to thwart any comeback hopes.

The Hawkeyes used a 12-2 run to build an insurmountable lead on the shoulders of Murray, who scored 18 points in the second half. The Big Ten's second leading scorer threw down an uncontested dunk for a 66-52 with about three minutes to play.

Garcia's absence and Payne's foul trouble gave Iowa a significant advantage inside. The Gophers were outrebounded 44-33, including giving up 42 points in the paint and 17 offensive rebounds. They also committed 14 turnovers and shot just 7-for-15 on free throws.

But the Gophers showed so much more fight after suffering back-to-back 35-point losses to Rutgers and Maryland. Johnson argued that no other team in the Big Ten had been forced to rely on so much inexperience due to injuries.

Minnesota's Mr. Basketball last season, Braeden Carrington from Park Center, had the highest-scoring game for a U freshman this season, with 20 points vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff in December, but he missed his eighth consecutive game because of a leg injury.

The freshmen appeared more confident Sunday after going through some tough games in the last month.

But they couldn't match the play of one of the most experienced teams in the league.

"The more minutes they get, the more experience they'll have and the better they'll be," said former walk-on Will Ramberg, who had eight points and seven rebounds off the bench. "They're only getting better. And it only goes up from here."