With six minutes left in the first half Saturday at Nebraska, Gophers forward Jamison Battle checked out of the game to deal with back issues that resurfaced after hindering his play earlier this season.
That's all second-year Gophers coach Ben Johnson needed, was for another one of his top scorers to be dealing with an injury.
It took five games to get leading scorer Dawson Garcia back healthy from a bone bruise. Freshman guard Braeden Carrington missed seven games because of a leg injury.
Battle returned late in the first half, but the Gophers saw Carrington leave the floor limping in the second half. The health problems continued for the Gophers in their 12th consecutive loss, falling 78-67 Saturday against the Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Neb.
The Gophers (7-20, 1-16 Big Ten) set a school record by going 11-for-11 from the foul line. Garcia finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Battle and Ta'Lon Cooper tied for a team-best 12 points. The Gophers even won the rebounding battle, but they gave up 21 points on 19 turnovers.
"We did a handful of good things, but the turnovers just crushed us," Johnson said in his postgame interview. "Those are extra possessions that you lose. And they capitalized on it."
The Huskers (15-14, 8-10) had six players in double figures, led by Sam Griesel's 19 points. They swept the season series after also pulling off an 81-79 overtime win Jan. 7 at Williams Arena. Juwan Gary and Emmanuel Bandoumel were lost for the season since that earlier matchup, but coach Fred Hoiberg's club overcame its injuries.
Nebraska has won five of its past six games, including a fourth in a row Saturday. Hoiberg has doubled last year's Big Ten win total in his fourth season. He also has the program's most conference victories since 2017-18 under Tim Miles.