NEW YORK – Amir Coffey’s return sparked the Gophers to a 10-point first-half lead Saturday against Ohio State, but it wasn’t enough to overcome problems on both sides of the floor that have plagued them during a tough stretch.

Coffey, who finished with 11 points, came back earlier than expected from a right shoulder injury that caused the talented sophomore guard to miss five games.

Minnesota won just one game during Coffey’s absence. But it fell to 1-5 without suspended center Reggie Lynch in a 67-49 loss Saturday afternoon to the No. 22-ranked Buckeyes at Madison Square Garden.

Jordan Murphy had 13 points to lead four players in double figures, but the Gophers (14-8, 3-5) shot 29 percent in the first half and committed 15 turnovers.

Lynch is out indefinitely while appealing a university ruling he was responsible for an alleged sexual misconduct incident in 2016. The 6-foot-10 former Big Ten defensive player of the year erased a lot of mistakes defensively that are being exposed in league play.

Richard Pitino also hasn’t been able to find an inside scoring presence to help Murphy without Lynch, who averaged 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks per game this season. Keita Bates-Diop had 11 of his 17 points in the second half and 12 rebounds for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes (17-4, 8-0) shot 51.7 percent from the field and led 38-31 at halftime Saturday. And that was with leading scorer Bates-Diop being held to just six points on 3-for-9 shooting in the first half.

Ohio State seemed surprised Coffey was playing and fell behind early 20-10 after a layup from Jordan Murphy midway into the first half. The Gophers maintained a 22-17 advantage after a floater from Coffey at 8:13, but they were outscored 17-0 in the next four minutes.

Three straight three-pointers from C.J. Jackson and Kaleb Wesson sparked Ohio State’s rally. Jackson and Wesson combined for 22 points in the first half.

Murphy had the early edge against fellow Big Ten player of the year candidate Bates-Diop with 11 points in the first half, but he scored just one more field goal in the second half.

The 6-foot-7 junior scared the section of Gophers fans in attendance when he landed awkwardly on Gaston Diedhiou’s foot around the 12-minute mark in the second half. He grabbed his left ankle in pain and limped with help into the locker room.

Minnesota was already thin in the frontcourt without Lynch and backup post Eric Curry, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in August. Fortunately for Richard Pitino, Murphy returned to the game a few minutes later.

A 10-point deficit got doubled even with Murphy back. Jae’Sean Tate’s three-point play capped a 9-0 run and made it 60-40 Ohio State with 7:33 remaining in the game.

Pitino complained during the week about playing a third straight league game away from home Saturday, the program’s first such stretch since 2002. The Gophers won Monday at Penn State 95-84 in overtime and lost 77-66 Thursday at Maryland.

Two years ago, Minnesota was announced to be part of a “Super Saturday” hoops-hockey doubleheader at Madison Square Garden. The Gophers men’s hockey team was matched up against Michigan State in the night event.