Gophers men’s basketball team hangs with No. 20 Purdue, but it doesn’t last

Ben Johnson and Matt Painter entered Thursday’s first conference game of the New Year coaching men’s basketball programs on completely opposite ends of the Big Ten hierarchy.

After back-to-back regular-season league titles, Purdue went to its first NCAA championship game since 1969 and finished as national runner-up last season.

The Gophers were coming off their first postseason since 2019 after going to the NIT second round, but they were picked to finish last in the Big Ten this year.

Preseason Big Ten title favorite Purdue was tested in the first half, but the Gophers looked overmatched and showed the gap is still too wide in an 81-61 loss to the No. 20 Boilermakers on Thursday night before an announced 9,754 at Williams Arena.

“You kind of got to take it for what it is,” said senior Dawson Garcia, who had a team-high 20 points. “They were a better team. We’re 0-3 in conference play now. Clearly, we’re not doing stuff that’s good enough as a collective unit.”

The Gophers (8-6, 0-3 Big Ten) were outscored 53-34 in the second half and dropped to 0-16 under Johnson against ranked opponents. They have lost 18 in a row vs. ranked teams since beating No. 24 Purdue on Feb. 11, 2021, at home under Richard Pitino.

“We weren’t as mentally tough with that as we needed to be,” Johnson said. “That’s the disappointing part because I thought this was the best game [of the first three Big Ten games] where we showed a level of compete that you have to have.”

The Boilermakers (10-4, 2-1) used a 16-3 run in the second half to pull away behind Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith, who combined for 33 of their 44 points in the second half on 8-for-13 shooting from three-point range.

For the first time in years, the Boilermakers had no 7-foot presence on the floor, playing without National Player of the Year Zach Edey, now an NBA rookie with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The 6-foot Smith shot 1-for-7 from the field in the first half Thursday, but he wouldn’t be denied after Purdue led just 28-27 at halftime. He finished with 20 points and 10 assists.

The Gophers took their first lead of the second half after Femi Odukale tipped in his own missed shot to make it 31-30.

The score was tied 33-33 when Garcia missed two free throws and Parker Fox threw the ball away on the next possession. The Boilermakers went on a 9-2 run capped by a Cam Heide three-pointer and a Smith layup.

The Gophers pulled within 47-43 after Isaac Asuma’s three-pointer with 11:12 to go, but Loyer and Smith steamrolled their opponent with 29 of Purdue’s last 34 points.

“Their execution offensively and defensively,” Asuma said about what impressed him of Loyer and Smith. “Every single play they were ready to go.”

In an old-school, low-scoring Big Ten battle early, the Gophers couldn’t string enough offense together late outside of Garcia to gain control. Lu’Cye Patterson had nine of his 14 points in the second half, to go with eight rebounds.

But Mike Mitchell Jr., who had 22 points and six three-pointers in the first half of Sunday’s win against Morgan State, was held to four points on 0-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

BOXSCORE: No. 20 Purdue 81, Gophers 61

The Gophers put up over 70 points in four of their previous five games. But they shot just 4-for-17 from deep and 7-for-16 on free throws Thursday, including eight missed free throws in the second half.

Purdue held the Gophers without a field goal in the last 2:39. Fans started exiting while Loyer added two three-pointers to put an exclamation point on his team’s dominance.

Another home game awaits, Monday night against Ohio State, for the Gophers to get their first Big Ten victory this season.

“[The Boilermakers] are too good; they don’t give up those leads and don’t beat themselves,” Johnson said. “I felt like it just zapped us, and we just didn’t have the right response.”