Mike Mitchell Jr. scored 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, and Minnesota pulled away for an 80-62 win over visiting Maine on Friday night in Minneapolis.
Elijah Hawkins notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists for Minnesota (10-3), which won its fifth consecutive game. Dawson Garcia also scored 12 points in his return from an ankle injury that had sidelined him for the previous three games.
Peter Filipovity scored 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds for Maine (8-7), which lost its third game in a row. Kristians Feierbergs contributed 14 points and six rebounds.
Minnesota shot 50.9 percent (29 of 57) from the field. Maine shot 44.1 percent (26 of 59).
The Golden Gophers led by as many as 18 points in the second half. Isaiah Ihnen made a dunk off an assist from Hawkins to put Minnesota on top 65-47 with 7:54 remaining.
Maine chipped into the Golden Gophers’ lead over the next few minutes. A layup by Feierbergs pulled the Black Bears within 68-58 with 4:08 to play.
The Golden Gophers answered with a 7-0 run to seal the outcome. Garcia made a pair of free throws to increase the lead to 75-58 with 1:36 left.
Minnesota built a 41-28 lead at the half.
Maine started strongly. Quion Burns made a jump shot to give the Black Bears a 16-14 advantage with 11:45 remaining in the first half.
The score remained tight late into the half. Kellen Tynes made a jump shot to pull Maine within 30-26 with 4:38 to go before the break.
Minnesota closed the first half on an 11-2 run to seize a 13-point lead. Mitchell drained a 3-pointer to start the run, and Garcia capped it off with a bucket with four seconds to go.
The Golden Gophers enjoyed a 17-6 advantage in points off turnovers. The rebounding battle was nearly even, with Minnesota finishing with a 34-33 edge.
–Field Level Media