Four takeaways from the Gophers scoring only 39 points in 40 minutes against Purdue

Gophers freshman Joshua Ola-Joseph wasn't intimidated on the opening possession of Thursday's 61-39 loss against Purdue, going right down the lane to shoot over 7-4 man mountain Zach Edey.

The 6-7 Ola-Joseph was arguably the most athletic player on the floor, but his layup was easily swatted by Edey with one swipe of his massive wingspan.

The Gophers (7-10, 1-6 Big Ten) saw much of the same for the rest of the night, scoring their fewest points in a game since the 1950-51 season. Their scoring total was also second-lowest in a game for a major conference Division I team this season, trailing only Louisville's 38 points in a Nov. 22 loss vs. Texas Tech.

"I got to do a better job," Gophers coach Ben Johnson said after a game in which his team scored only 12 points in the first half. "Offensively, I just felt like it was one of those games where we couldn't get out of a rut, and I thought it just impacted everything."

Here are four takeaways from the Gophers' sixth Big Ten loss this season Thursday vs. No. 3 Purdue:

Following a three-pointer from Taurus Samuels five minutes into the first half, the Gophers trailed the Boilermakers 8-5, but one of their typical lengthy scoring droughts then put the game out of reach.

The Gophers went just 2-for-18 to open the game and missed seven straight shots before Pharrel Payne's dunk made the score 14-7, but Purdue answered with a 17-2 run to take over completely.

They shot 20.8% from the field in the first half, including 4-for-20 inside the arc.

The U's starting five went 4-for-19 in the first half, with top scorers Dawson Garcia and Jamison Battle combining to go scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting.

No team's top players always play at the highest level, which is why bench production is critical. The Gophers, who played without Braeden Carrington because of a leg injury, had just two points off the bench at halftime.

So much talk going into Thursday was about how the Gophers were going to defend Edey after his 31-point, 22-rebound effort in their 19-point loss Dec. 4 in West Lafayette, Ind.

The junior center looked every bit the frontrunner Thursday to win NCAA player of the year award, scoring all of his 12 points and getting two of his four blocks in the first half. But the best player in the game turned out to be the smallest.

Smith, who shot 8-for-13 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range, had 10 points during a nine-minute stretch when the Boilermakers stretched their lead to 29 points in the second half.

Smith didn't even score in 27 minutes in the previous meeting, but he also added defense to his best Big Ten offensive outing. Cooper was held to six points on 2-for-7 shooting Thursday.

This just hasn't been Battle's season. It has been difficult for the preseason All-Big Ten forward to shoot at the level he did last season now that he's been scouted by every team in the league. He's also had trouble staying healthy.

Battle, who had the first scoreless game of his career on 0-for-8 shooting in 22 minutes (four minutes in the second half), missed the first four games this season after foot surgery.

There were questions whether the former DeLaSalle standout would even play Thursday after suffering a back injury at the end of Monday's 78-60 loss against Illinois, but he looked fine in warmups.

"I'm glad he gave it a go," Johnson said. "He's not 100 percent, but they did a good job [defending him]."

In the last few minutes of the game, the Gophers didn't hear jeers from the crowd because freshmen Jaden Henley, Ola-Joseph and Payne continued to compete until the final buzzer.

The momentum from the first Big Ten victory against Ohio State last week has evaporated, but the younger players have more than half the Big Ten schedule remaining to get better.

While the veterans struggled offensively, Ola-Joseph was aggressive early and late in the game. And it showed with his team-high 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting in 27 minutes. He was the only player in double figures Thursday.

Payne was humbled physically in the post by Edey in the first half, which doesn't happen often to the talented 6-9, 255-pound big man. But he was able to play 25 minutes despite being in foul trouble.