New Gophers point guard Elijah Hawkins stacked two assists worthy of highlight reels in front of pro’s pro at Williams Arena on Tuesday.

Hawkins weaved around Arkansas-Pine Bluff defenders to find Dawson Garica for an open dunk midway through the first half. Then on the next possession, the transfer from Howard perfectly timed an alley-oop lob to Josh Ola-Joseph for another slam.

Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley Jr. watched that sequence unfold from a second-row seat at The Barn. Conley might a difficult one to impress after he and Greg Oden took Ohio State to the NCAA national championship game in 2007 before  starting a now-17-year NBA career.

The Gophers (4-1) were an 18-point favorite and won by 19 in a 86-67 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-3).

Head coach Ben Johnson didn’t like how his starters began the second half and hooked all five players before two minutes had been played. Johnson has the roster depth to do this, playing 10 players on Tuesday.

Minnesota’s shooting went cold to start against Pine Bluff’s 3-2 zone defense in the second half, but a steal from Hawkins led to a one-man fast break lay-up to help end the lull.

Hawkins, who battled foul trouble, had 10 points, four assists and two turnovers in 16 minutes. Johnson said he likes the chemistry Hawkins and Ola-Joseph have shown on alley-oops.

“I do when he doesn’t turn it over,” Johnson said. “I think Elijah has a knack for that. Sometimes, when he gets a little loose with it or it’s not needed, I think his ability to find guys late especially and I think guys are realizing that. Josh knows if I cut really hard and get behind the defense, he’s gonna throw.”

In the first half, the Gophers’ lead reached a game-high 21 points, 51-30, with two minutes to go in the first half, but Pine Bluff capitalized on three Minnesota turnovers to take a mini 6-0 spurt to make it 51-36 at the break.

The Gophers had used a 10-0 run to take a 23-13 lead midway through the first half as Pine Bluff missed nine straight shots. Minnesota then put together another 9-0 run to extend the lead to a 42-24 with five minutes left in the half.

At the half, four Minnesota players led the way with eight points apiece — Cam Christie, Ola-Joseph, Mike Mitchell Jr. and Garcia. For the game, Garcia led the way with 19 points.

Center Pharrel Payne continued to come off the bench after he missed the Texas-San Antonio game with a foot injury. He played 10 minutes Tuesday after playing 14 against Missouri and 20 against South Carolina-Upstate.

Pine Bluff has been allowing opponents to shoot 47 percent from the field, which ranked 308th in nation going into Tuesday. Minnesota shot 45 percent from the field Tuesday.

Pine Bluff is picked to finish 10th in the 12-team Southwestern Athletic Conference, one spot behind Bethune Cookman, which Minnesota beat 80-60 in the season opener on Nov. 6.

Conley has ties to Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s coaching staff and has donated to their program, according to KSTP. But Johnson said he can talk to his team anytime.

“That’s a great guy (Conley) for our guys to emulate,” Johnson said. “… He knows how to win. I didn’t know he was there (at The Barn). He can give any advice to our guards. Let me know.”

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