Four things learned: Gophers' Cam Christie back on track, picturing 40 minutes of Payne

The ideal situation for Ben Johnson on Tuesday night would've been to clear his bench for everyone to get some playing time in the 86-67 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Things didn't unfold exactly how Johnson wanted, though. A 21-point lead dwindled to eight points in the second half, so his main rotation played longer than expected.

The Gophers (4-1), who don't play again until Sunday at San Francisco, still got 10 players into the game and nine players at least saw double figures in minutes. Even redshirt freshman Kadyn Betts scored the first points of his career.

"Now it's about figuring out lineups a little bit," Johnson said. "It's figuring out who plays well, but it's also can I steal guys minutes now and get them experience? I'm glad I got KB in. I'm pumped about that."

Johnson wanted to play freshman Kris Keinys and senior Jack Wilson. "If we would've handled business better than you can get those guys in because they need the game reps."

Here are four things learned from the second straight win Tuesday against Pine Bluff:

Playing with the lead

The Gophers were reeling midway through the second half when they were outscored 8-0 and started 1-for-9 from three-point range. Johnson called a timeout to get his players settled.

The lead was stretched to 12 points, but the Gophers then had a turnover and errant three-pointer. Suddenly, they were ahead only 61-53 with 10 minutes and 19 seconds remaining in the game.

Minnesota took only two shots from long distance during a six-minute stretch. Johnson's players relied more on scoring inside the arc and at the foul line. They also increased the pressure defensively, forcing turnovers (Pine Bluff had 14). That's the winning identity Johnson talked about playing with on a consistent basis.

Freshman ends slump

Cam Christie had the best scoring debut for a Gophers true freshman in 20 years with his 18 points on Nov. 10 against Texas San Antonio, but he knew he still had a lot to learn.

The next two games, the talented 6-6 guard combined for just seven points on 2-for-12 shooting from the field, including 0-for-4 in the Missouri loss. But Christie never lost confidence in himself.

On Tuesday, the Illinois native had eight of his 14 points in the first half. He led the Gophers with 4-for-6 shooting from three. Playing point guard at times, Christie also finished with four assists and zero turnovers in 24 minutes. The bench scored 31 points on Tuesday.

Ball movement

There might not be another game during Johnson's tenure that set a better example for what can happen when ball movement is emphasized offensively.

Everyone on the floor touched the ball. The Gophers finished with 24 assists, including five players (Christie, Elijah Hawkins, Isaiah Ihnen, Mike Mitchell Jr., and Braeden Carrington) tied with a team-high four assists.

Sharing the ball was most apparent in the first half when the Gophers had 15 assists on 18 field goals, which led to 8-for-22 shooting from three-point range. The offense hit a snag early in the second half with eight of the team's 15 turnovers, but they had four assists on five field goals with zero turnovers in the last 3:48 of the game to seal the win.

"When we move the ball, we get good stuff," Johnson said. "Now the next step is can it be more than just in spurts of five minutes here or 10 minutes there? Do it for a whole half. … Can it get to all 40 minutes?"

Payne's health

Five games into the season, the Gophers still haven't seen the best of Pharrel Payne. Not even close.

The 6-9, 255-pound Cottage Grove native was the team's best inside presence to end his freshman year with six double figure scoring performances in his last 10 games, including two double-doubles. And that was with him playing 22 minutes a game.

Payne was supposed to have a much bigger role this season, but a foot injury has forced the Gophers to put him on a minute restriction. He has one double figure scoring game this season while averaging 14.8 minutes per game.

On Tuesday, Payne had six points, five rebounds and a block in just under 10 minutes. Imagine what he could do with extended time on the court. He averages 19 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.1 blocks per 40 minutes this year.