One despondent Gophers fan had the bleachers of Section 204 to himself for Minnesota’s nonconference game against Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday afternoon at Williams Arena.

While the Gophers accumulated eight turnovers in the first half, the man buried his head in his hands after a few of them. He did cheer a few strong defensive plays, but those moments were few and far between. When intermission came and Minnesota was trailing, 21-20, he zipped up his green winter jacket, walked out and didn’t return to his seat for the second half.

The Gophers improved in the second half and finished off FDU with a 74-60 victory, but the U’s recent struggles continue despite a 12-day layoff to improve after an 0-2 start to Big Ten play.

Still, Minnesota (7-5) won for only the second time in the last six games, while Fairleigh Dickinson (4-10) has lost six of seven.

Four Minnesota players finished in double figures scoring: Mike Mitchell and Dawson Garcia each put up 18, Lu’Cye Patterson and Femi Odukale each added 10.

The U shot 72 percent from the field in the second half after managing only 30 percent in the first half.

FDU guard Terrence Brown, an alum of Columbia Heights High School, ranked eighth in the nation with a 22.1-point average coming into the game but shot poorly. The Minneapolis native had 10 points on 4 of 22 from the field, 0 for 4 from 3-point range.

A group of Gophers defenders combined to help take Brown out of the game.

The Gophers were 114th in the KenPom rankings, more than 200 spots above FDU (331), but it didn’t show in the first half.

The Gophers managed only one point per minute in the first half and trailed FDU 21-20 at the break. Minnesota shot 30 percent from the field, 16 percent from 3-point range and were outscored 16-8 in the paint.

Coming off its extended layoff, Minnesota was especially rusty in the beginning, with four turnovers in the first four minutes to trail 7-3.

Gophers big man Frank Mitchell was out Saturday after going into concussion protocol during a practice this week. Parker Fox moved into the starting lineup Saturday.

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