Jordan Murphy scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds Friday night as Minnesota built up an 18-point second half lead, then held off a furious Oklahoma State comeback for an 83-76 win at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Isaiah Washington added 15 points for the Golden Gophers, who improved to 6-1. Freshman Gabe Kalscheur tallied 14, including a 3-pointer with 4:34 left that gave Minnesota a 77-68.
Amir Coffey chipped in 11 points and Dupree McBrayer pitched in 10 for the Gophers, who converted 52 percent of their shots, including 58.8 percent in the second half. Minnesota was also solid at the foul line, sinking 13-of-17 in the second half and 23-of-30 for the evening.
Four players hit double figures for Oklahoma State (4-3), led by Lindy Waters III with 18 points and eight rebounds. Michael Weathers scored 17 points, Mike Cunningham added 12 and Cameron McGriff scored 10 points but made only 4-of-13 shots.
Leading 46-43 after McGriff sank a 3-pointer just 65 seconds into the second half, the Gophers rattled off the next 10 points. McBrayer sandwiched 3-pointers around a transition layup by Murphy, enabling Minnesota to seize control.
The Gophers tacked on to their lead, getting a layup from Michael Hurt with 10:33 left for a 70-52 advantage. But when it appeared they were on the verge of blowing it open, Oklahoma State surged into contention by scoring 12 straight points and pulling within 70-64 when Weathers hit two free throws with 6:40 remaining.
A Weathers layup capped a streak of 13 consecutive points that gave the Cowboys a 13-5 advantage at the 13:37 mark of the first half. The lead grew to 19-10 before Minnesota executed a plot twist.
Coffey's putback with 5:43 left in the half gave the Gophers a 27-25 edge, their first lead since the game's first 3 1/2 minutes.
Tied at 33 with 2:16 remaining, Minnesota scored on its last five possessions of the half, taking a 45-38 lead when Matz Stockman drained a jumper with one second on the clock.
--Field Level Media
Oklahoma State | Minnesota | |
Lindy Waters III 18 | Scoring | Jordan Murphy 24 |
Isaac Likekele 5 | Assists | Isaiah Washington 4 |
Lindy Waters III 8 | Rebounds | Jordan Murphy 16 |
Michael Weathers 5 | Free Throws Made | Jordan Murphy 11 |
Cameron McGriff 4 | Steals | Gabe Kalscheur 2 |
Yor Anei 4 | Blocks | Daniel Oturu 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Oklahoma State | 76 | 42.9 | 10-19 | 12-24 | 12 | 30 | 7 | 8 | 14 |
Minnesota | 83 | 52.0 | 8-14 | 23-30 | 18 | 33 | 8 | 4 | 19 |