Gophers obliterate New Orleans as Payne, Christie shine off the bench

Pharrel Payne and Cam Christie were outstanding off the bench.

The Gophers couldn’t have shot the ball much better than they did Thursday night in a 97-64 win over New Orleans. 

Minnesota played New Orleans evenly for the first 8 minutes of the game, leading 19.16 with 11:29 left in the first half, before ending the half on a 31-16 run to take a 50-32 into the half. In the second half, it wasn't even close. 

The Gophers led by as many as 36 points in the second half, with the highlight of the half a stretch of just over two minutes in which Pharrel Payne scored 10 of 11 points to fuel Minnesota'a big run. 

Payne, coming off the bench and facing a minutes restriction as he works his way back from a from a preseason foot injury, finished with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting. True freshman guard Cam Christie, also coming off the bench, led the Gophers with 20 points and he hit 4-of-6 from 3-point range. 

Dawson Garcia had 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting and Mike Mitchell had 14 points and five assists off the bench. 

Overall, the Gophers shot 59.4% from the field, though it's worth noting that they were firing at a 65% clip midway through the second half before it trailed off slightly in the final minutes. 

The play of the game belongs to Parker Fox, who took flight for what will go down as one of the most vicious putback dunks in college hoops this season even though it didn't count. Check this out... 

If only this counted. 😳 @GopherMBB pic.twitter.com/UnsoB8pkAN

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 1, 2023

Head coach Ben Johnson spoke of possible changes to the starting lineup, but he again went with the same five starters: Elijah Hawkins, Braeden Carrington, Isaiah Ihnen, Josh Ola-Joseph and Garcia. 

Parker Fox opens up about long road back from serious knee injuries

The victory gets the Gophers back in the win column and to 5-2 overall. The two losses came after second-half collapses against Missouri and San Francisco. The biggest test yet is on deck as the Gophers travel to Columbus to face Ohio State on Sunday. 

Up next: Gophers at Ohio State, Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT. 

Nov 30, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Cam Christie (24) drives up court as New Orleans Privateers guard Jamond Vincent (13) defends during the first half at Williams Arena.  / Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports