Head coach Ben Johnson has nine players who could start for the Gopher men's basketball team this season.

All nine players have seen double-digit minutes. Johnson can make different rotations for different opponents. Big or small. Fast or slow.

The shifting lineups made it difficult for the Gophers to find a rhythm at times on Tuesday night, but the strength in numbers ultimately led to an 86-67 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Williams Arena.

The Gophers (4-1) cut a 21-point lead to 61-53 midway through the second half, and the barn went from raucous to apprehensive, reminiscent of last week's 70-68 loss to Missouri, when the Gophers lost a 20-point lead in the second half. But this time they closed out the game on a 25-14 spurt.

Our bench did a great job," said Johnson, who came off the bench to score 31 points, "especially in the second half." Especially in the second half. They brought some energy. They brought a competitive spirit. It's nice to deal with these guys and they can lift us up."

Dawson Garcia had a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds for the Gophers, who made 11 3-pointers in the second half but were 3-of-14 from long range.

Instead of relying on jump shots late in the game, the Gophers allowed their starters to cut into the lane with success.

Garcia hit a three-pointer in the 10th minute after scoring a layup and drawing a foul to push USA's lead back to double digits. Joshua Ola Joseph scored 12 straight points on consecutive dunks to extend the lead to 15 with just under six minutes left in the game.

The Gophers didn't score a point in the final six minutes of the heartbreaking loss to Missouri, but have come out strong in their last two games against USC Upstate and Pine Bluff, including making their final five shots from beyond the arc on Tuesday.

"We can use different types of lineups and bring different energies," Garcia said, "and it's all about supporting each other." I thought we did a good job of that.

Starting point guard Elijah Hawkins sat out a few minutes in the first half, but he came back and joined his teammates for two dunks, including an aerial to Ola Joseph. Hawkins was one of five Gopher players to dish out four assists, totaling 24 in the game.

Johnson's starting lineup wasn't necessarily his best scoring lineup, but it was his best defensive lineup. On Tuesday, Braeden Carrington held Kylen Milton, who ranks fifth nationally in scoring at 23.8 points per game, to just eight points. Pine Bluff's Rashad Williams was 2-of-7 from the field in the second half, scoring just six of his 26 points.

The teams traded baskets early in the first half until Johnson used its depth to its advantage. Sophomore forward Farrell Payne and first-year guard Cam Christie, arguably two of the team's most talented young players, came off the bench to combine for seven points in a 10-0 run.

Christie scored 18 points in his Nov. 10 debut, ending a two-game slump in which he scored 14 points on 2-of-12 shooting.

"The sky's not falling," Christie said." I'm still confident because I know I'm a good basketball player. Every game makes me better.

Payne played 10 minutes and had six points and five rebounds while he was being treated for a foot injury. Johnson said limiting playing time is "no big deal."

"We've been limiting him in practice," Johnson said." I don't want him on the floor more than 20 minutes ...... , but the energy he gives us off the bench is good."