Luke Loewe scored a game-high 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including 6 of 10 from beyond the arc, and Minnesota pulled away for a 77-60 win over visiting Northwestern on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Jamison Battle recorded a double-double for Minnesota with 21 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 8 of 13 from the field. E.J. Stephens added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Golden Gophers (13-12, 4-12 Big Ten), who snapped a two-game skid.
Pete Nance scored 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting to lead Northwestern. Boo Buie scored 16 points as the only other player to score in double figures for the Wildcats (12-13, 5-11), who lost their third game in a row.
Northwestern trailed by double digits for much of the game but closed the gap to 47-40 with 15:07 remaining. The Wildcats got within seven after a 9-0 run that featured a 3-pointer by Buie, a free throw and layup by Chase Audige and a 3-pointer by Nance.
Minnesota answered with seven straight points to pull back in front 54-40. The Golden Gophers increased their lead to 22 when Loewe’s 3-pointer made it 66-44 with 8:37 left.
The Wildcats never got within striking distance from there.
The Golden Gophers built a 43-27 lead at the half.
The score was even at 8-8 when Minnesota went on an 11-0 run to grab a double-digit lead. Battle made a jump shot to cap the run, which also included back-to-back layups by Sean Sutherlin.
The Golden Gophers increased their advantage to 30-13 with 7:11 remaining in the first half. That followed a 6-0 run for Minnesota that included a 3-pointer by Loewe, a jump shot by Battle and a free throw by Eric Curry.
Northwestern closed the first half with five consecutive points but still trailed by 16 at the break. Nance made two free throws, Buie had another free throw and Casey Simmons made a layup.
Minnesota improved to 8-5 at home. Northwestern dropped to 3-6 on the road.
The Golden Gophers will stay home to tip off against No. 15 Wisconsin on Wednesday night.
Northwestern will return home to face Nebraska on Tuesday night.
–Field Level Media
