No. 10 Minnesota 84, No. 13 Illinois 67: Joe Coleman scored a career-high 29 points and Trevor Mbakwe had 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Golden Gophers won their 11th straight and handed the Illini their first home loss.
Andre Hollins added 22 points, a career-high eight rebounds and six assists for Minnesota (15-1, 3-0 Big Ten), which is on its longest win streak since a 12-game run during the 2008-09 season.
Brandon Paul scored 21 points to pace Illinois (14-3, 1-2), which has dropped three of five since a 12-0 start.
The Illini – the top 3-point shooting team in the nation – shot just 3-of-16 from beyond the arc in the first half and fell behind by 12 early in the second half, but three straight layups by Tracy Abrams highlighted a 12-2 run that allowed Illinois to climb to within 44-42 with 12:40 remaining.
Minnesota would not relinquish its lead, however, as Hollins and Coleman scored the next 12 points for the Gophers as they answered with a 19-7 surge. They were not threatened thereafter, holding the Illini to a season-low 3-of-24 from the 3-point line.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The 3-0 start in Big Ten play is officially Minnesota’s best since the 1974-75 season. The 1996-97 team began conference play with four straight victories, but those wins were later vacated. … Minnesota (75) entered Wednesday with half as many 3-pointers as Illinois (150), but tripled the Illini with a 9-of-15 performance in this contest. … The Illini have shot less than 30 percent from the 3-point line in six of their last seven games after doing so just once over their first 10.
Minnesota | Illinois | |
Joe Coleman 29 | Scoring | Brandon Paul 21 |
Andre Hollins 6 | Assists | Tracy Abrams 2 |
Trevor Mbakwe 11 | Rebounds | Nnanna Egwu 9 |
Joe Coleman 7 | Free Throws Made | Brandon Paul 8 |
Austin Hollins 2 | Steals | Brandon Paul 3 |
Joe Coleman 1 | Blocks | Nnanna Egwu 3 |