Gophers beat Macalester in exhibition; Scots guard Caleb Williams has 41-point night

The Gophers men's basketball team got tested against Division III Macalester in Thursday night's exhibition, but it had to play without Pharrel Payne and Cam Christie, two top young players.

Payne, a 6-9 sophomore, was projected to be the starting center this season for the Gophers. Christie, a 6-6 freshman, was the team's top incoming recruit.

Gophers coach Ben Johnson expects both players to play a big role this season, so their absence likely made a difference before pulling away in a 97-73 win against the Scots at Williams Arena.

Christie, who recently returned to practice, had been out sick with mononucleosis last month and missed the U's closed scrimmage loss at Colorado State. He's questionable for Monday's opener. Meanwhile, Payne's return is hopeful soon from an undisclosed minor injury.

"Cam is going to be back, so we'll slowly work him back into the mix," Johnson said. "Pharrel, I'm hoping he's back on Monday. It's nothing serious. It's a decision I made today [as] more precautionary."

Joshua Ola-Joseph led five U players in double figures with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Dawson Garcia, an All-Big Ten preseason forward, also had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Gophers, who trailed 17-9 to open the game.

Macalester, getting 41 points on 31 shots from Caleb Williams, played the Gophers for the first time since 1922, before Williams Arena opened.

The Gophers open the regular season Monday night against Bethune-Cookman at home, but Thursday's exhibition was a chance for fans to see several newcomers and veterans Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen back from missing two years with knee injuries.

"Anybody who know what I've been through physically and mentally knows I didn't do this alone," Fox said. "Going out onto the court today, I just looked at my family section. Everybody there to support me just put a smile to my face."

Here are four key observations from the Gophers' exhibition Thursday:

Johnson talked about playing more up-tempo this season — and it made a difference with the 52 points in the paint and 24 fast-break points. Ola-Joseph had four of the team's 10 dunks. Newcomers Mike Mitchell Jr. and Elijah Hawkins (each had nine assists) combined for eight of the team's 15 assists (32 for the game) in the first half with only one turnover. Once Christie is inserted into the rotation, this might be the fastest team for the Gophers since early in the Richard Pitino era. They ranked 266th nationally in adjusted tempo last year, per Ken Pomeroy's analytics data.

"I feel like that's one of the stronger things we bring to the table that they didn't have last year," Hawkins said. "I feel like we're going to be real good doing it."

Minnesota's starting backcourt of Hawkins and Braeden Carrington took turns defending Macalester's Williams early, but they were in for a rough night. Carrington's hustle and effort was there. But Williams, the MIAC's leading returning scorer, exploded for 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting by halftime, including four of his five threes. Williams nailed fadeaway jumpers, step-back jumpers and drove the lane. The Gophers even used 6-7 Ola-Joseph to guard him for more size and length. This will be a learning experience for the Gophers, who open Monday vs. Bethune-Cookman guard Zion Harmon, the Southwestern Athletic Conference freshman of the year.

"Credit to that kid Williams," Johnson said. "He made some tough ones. We got him going early. He was tough to guard."

Hawkins seemed to take it personal when his lead guard counterpart torched the Gophers. The Howard transfer was the fastest player on the floor. He flew down court in the blink of an eye. But he also got his shot off quickly, finishing with 17 points and hitting 4-for-6 shots from three. Getting out in transition is what Hawkins did often in Howard's fast-paced attack. He led the Bison to the NCAA tournament. The Gophers had five different players sink shots from beyond the arc with 10 total, including Mitchell with a pair from deep.

To open the second half, Garcia set the tone with an early dunk and three-pointer. By the seven-minute mark, the 6-11 junior slammed another basket for a 27-point advantage. The Scots played without MIAC defensive player of the year, Badou Ba, who is out for the year with an injury. Their tallest frontcourt starter was 6-6, so this wasn't a good indicator for the size the Gophers will see in the regular season. How Payne fits into the mix in the frontcourt once he returns from injury will be key. Wilson, a 6-11, 290-pound Washington State transfer, had limited action off the bench. But Fox had 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes. Ihnen finished with five points and a team-high three blocks in 12 minutes.