Dawson Garcia changed from street clothes into his uniform just before Thursday’s Gophers men’s basketball against Ball State, but he had no intention of playing.

The plan for weeks had been for the Gophers to buy as much time as possible to rest their leading scorer’s injured left ankle before Big Ten play resumes Jan. 4 at Michigan.

In the meantime, Gophers coach Ben Johnson had to lean offensively on a variety of options in Garcia’s absence, which was on full display to help them escape with a 80-63 win against the Cardinals at Williams Arena.

The Gophers (9-3) saw seven different players score in the first half to take a 17-point lead early. Johnson’s players showed no signs of being flat coming off a nine-day break, but they still needed a balanced effort in the end to win a fourth consecutive game.

Mike Mitchell Jr. led the five starters in double figures with 20 points. Elijah Hawkins, who had a team-record 17 assists in last week’s win vs. IUPUI, finished with 12 points and nine assists.

Ball State (8-4) hadn’t played the Gophers since upsetting them at the Barn under former coach Rick Majerus in 1988. Despite being picked to finish eighth in the Mid-American Conference, the Cardinals trailed only 64-57 with 7 ½ minutes to play after a three-point play by Jalin Anderson.

Anderson, who averaged 15 points, had 14 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to put a scare in the home crowd.

Normally, the Gophers would have sophomore starter Braeden Carrington trying to lock him down defensively. But Carrington missed his second game while taking a leave of absence to focus on his mental health.

Missing two starters, the Gophers thwarted Ball State’s late comeback attempt with an 11-0 run fueled by Joshua Ola-Joseph and Pharrel Payne. Ola-Joseph scored seven of his 12 points during the rally, including a three-point play to make it 75-57 with 5:24 remaining.

Payne, who finished with 13 points in his third start replacing Garcia, made Gophers fans gasp early in the second half when he landed hard on his head falling after a blocked layup attempt. The 6-9 sophomore’s return after being checked out by medical staff was crucial to match the opposition.

Ball State’s leading scorer and rebounder Basheer Jihad was shut down in the first half, but he took advantage inside to make it tight down the stretch wit 13 of his 17 points in the second half.

Garcia’s last full game was a 36-point performance in a Dec. 3 loss at Ohio State. The Gophers have been relying on different players to fill the go-to scoring role since then.

With Carrington out indefinitely, Mitchell’s role expanded to join Hawkins and Christie in the starting lineup the past two games. The Pepperdine transfer left the game with a standing ovation under a minute left with his best game in a Gophers uniform.

Mitchell shot 8-for-11 from the field, including 4-for-5 shooting from three-point range. Christie added 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Gophers, who return to action after Christmas on Dec. 28 vs. Maine at home.