SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. — As the errant shots and turnovers piled up in the first half Wednesday, Gophers coach Ben Johnson could sense the SoCal Challenge championship game vs. UNLV was turning into a rough lesson for his basketball team.
Johnson's players failed to quit facing a 22-point second-half deficit in the 71-62 loss against the Rebels, but the Gophers were clearly rattled by the aggressive defensive pressure.
"I know we're capable of being able to handle that," Johnson said. "And just be a little bit tougher, be a little bit more into the game and not on our heels as much."
The game was much more one-sided than the final score indicated, especially after the Gophers (4-2) were outscored 19-2 late in the first half.
After a strong start early in the SoCal Challenge opener vs. Cal Baptist, Minnesota was outplayed with exception to the very end of the 62-61 overtime win Monday. And it was not the U's best showing in the title game.
A tougher stretch awaits for the Gophers against four straight major conference opponents, starting Nov. 28 at Virginia Tech. Here are four takeaways from the two Gophers games in the SoCal Challenge:
Battle's back
The return of All-Big Ten preseason forward Jamison Battle from foot surgery this week kept the Gophers from losing both games in the SoCal Challenge, but he was supposed to play restricted minutes.