Gophers lose big to San Francisco as men's basketball team hits the road for the first time

SAN FRANCISCO – Ben Johnson seemed like he had the answers to winning on the road figured out to start his tenure as Gophers men's basketball coach.

Johnson won his first four games away from home in nonconference play two seasons ago. Since then, he's struggled to repeat that success.

In their first game away from Williams Arena this season, the Gophers fell behind by double figures in the first half and couldn't overcome 18 turnovers in a 76-58 loss Sunday against San Francisco at the Golden State Warriors' Chase Center.

"We're going to be in these environments many, many times," Johnson said. "We've got to learn how to respond better. You can't let being home or away affect who we are as a team."

The Gophers (4-2) saw their frontcourt of Dawson Garcia and Pharrel Payne combine for 34 points, but they allowed their opponent to score 25 points off turnovers.

On Sunday, the Gophers went on an 11-4 run that was capped by Cam Christie's three-pointer to make it 47-46 around the 13-minute mark in the second half. But the game would end with the one-sided Chase Center crowd chanting "USF" as their team finished with a 29-12 run.

The Dons (5-2) play their home games at War Memorial Gym, but they seemed to be right at home at the Warriors' arena. The same couldn't be said for the Gophers, who trailed 37-29 at halftime, falling behind at the break for the first time this season. They went 1-19 last season when trailing at the half.

"I think it was some of the attention to detail and being loose with the ball," said Garcia, who led the Gophers with 19 points. "It starts with me as an upperclassmen and a leader on this team. I have to be a lot better making sure everybody is staying the course throughout the game."

Slow starts hadn't kept the Gophers from taking control in the first half in previous games, even in a two-point loss against Missouri. Their first field goal Sunday, though, didn't come until Garcia's three-pointer nearly five minutes into the game.

An up-tempo style helped the Gophers average 14 points on the fast break, but they had only one fast-break point in Sunday's loss. A lack of defensive stops limited transition scoring opportunities against the Dons, who shot 52% from the field and had 48 points in the paint.

Elijah Hawkins, the U's starting point guard, usually controls the pace but struggled against USF's size and length with a team-high five turnovers, including four in the first half.

During the 2021-22 season, the Gophers were 4-0 in nonconference games away from Williams Arena, including wins at Mississippi State and Pittsburgh. But the Gophers now have three consecutive losses away from home in nonleague games after falling to UNLV and Virginia Tech last season.

Picked to finish third in the West Coast Conference, San Francisco beat DePaul earlier this season and looked like an NCAA tournament-caliber team Sunday behind big man Jonathan Mogbo's game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. Texas A&M transfer Marcus Williams also had 20 points for the Dons, who shot 60% from the field in the second half.

"It was hard when you have a one-possession game and you let it snowball," Johnson said. "Whether it was quick shots or turnovers, our immaturity showed up. Against really good teams, you can't do that."