Four things learned include turnovers doom Gophers and Payne conquers pain

SAN FRANCISCO – Gophers big man Pharrel Payne watched from the bench as the starters struggled to open Sunday's 76-58 loss against San Francisco, trailing 10-1 in the first four minutes.

After the 6-9 sophomore entered the game, the Gophers finally scored their first basket when the threat of Payne inside allowed leading scorer Dawson Garcia to get more open looks.

The Gophers (4-2) never recovered after falling behind in the first half Sunday and trailed from start to finish against the Dons (5-2) at the Golden State Warriors' Chase Center. One of the few bright spots, though, was Payne scoring 15 of his team's 31 points off the bench in the loss.

It was the first time this season Payne played more than 20 minutes after the Gophers had him on a minutes restriction to help with a lingering foot injury to open the season.

"Hopefully, I can carry it over to other games," Payne said Sunday. "I feel like I'm definitely getting more comfortable on the court. Definitely out there making my mark. It's been a little tough, but I know it's for my own good."

Payne's performance was one of the four things learned from Sunday's loss in San Francisco:

Progressing Payne

There was heavy enthusiasm within the program this offseason that Payne was going to make a significant jump, but with his foot injury came a setback.

After starting at center in the season-opening win vs. Bethune-Cookman, Payne would miss the second game of the season against Texas-San Antonio. He had seven blocks combined in the next two games after returning, but the Gophers limited him to just 15 minutes a game on average.

At less than 100% healthy, Payne was even being cautious with his foot in practice, but he looked more like his old self Sunday with season highs in points (15), rebounds (six) and minutes (26).

"I feel like the last game, his mentality was right," Gophers coach Ben Johnson said. "There was a fight to him. He was moving. He showed that energy, which I love. So, we need him to continue that mental piece because that's really big for him. Hopefully, he can build on the success he had."

Payne's more productive the more he plays. He's averaging a career-best 20.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.7 blocks, per 40 minutes this season. Should he be a starter again?

Turnover issues

The Gophers are the most turnover-prone team in the Big Ten this season — and it has become arguably their biggest weakness.

The 18 turnovers Sunday turned into 25 points for the Dons, who also recorded 14 steals on the night. Four of the team's eight turnovers came from point guard Elijah Hawkins in the first half, but taking care of the ball got worse for others as the game progressed.

Mike Mitchell Jr. and Cam Christie combined for six of the team's 10 turnovers in the second half. Minnesota's point guard trio of Hawkins, Mitchell and Christie crumbled under USF's pressure to combine for 12 turnovers in the game.

Through six games, the Gophers lead the Big Ten with 14.7 turnovers per game and rank last in the league in turnover margin (minus-4.5).

"We have to fix that," Johnson said. "That's been our Achilles' heel. Eighteen turnovers is way too many, especially playing against a really good team. We have to figure out and understand the value of hitting singles and making the simple play."

Defensive letdown

Defense became a bigger part of the U's identity after the first loss earlier this month against Missouri, but it didn't travel well.

In the first road game of the year, Johnson saw the Gophers have their worst defensive showing of the season by allowing USF to shoot 52% from the field, including 60% in the second half.

Nothing frustrated Johnson more than when he told his players to foul at the end of the first half and USF nailed a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer. The poor execution on D continued from there.

"We were going into our smack coverage because we had a foul to give," Johnson said. "We just don't relay it and don't do it. And they make a momentum shot going into half."

The Dons were not only bigger — they played with a 7-2 center and 6-8 guard at times — but also more aggressive defensively than their Big Ten foe Sunday. They had seven players 6-7 or taller on the floor throughout the game, including 6-8 Jonathan Mogbo, who finished with a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Nothing in transition

The Dons were able to beat the Gophers at their own game on Sunday night.

Entering Sunday, Johnson's new, fast-paced style of play averaged 14 fastbreak points per game this season, including 24 against UTSA earlier this season.

USF's defense forced a season high in turnovers. The Gophers played much faster than they could handle but also were outscored 10-1 in fastbreak points. It was the first time this season they weren't able to score one basket in transition.