National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 70, North Dakota State 57
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Where: Williams Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials: # Steve McJunkins, # Mike Sanzere, # Terry Wymer
Attendance: 10472

No. 16 Minnesota 70, North Dakota State 57:
Rodney Williams Jr. scored 19 points and Trevor Mbakwe collected 14 points and 18 rebounds as the Golden Gophers won their seventh straight game.

Andre Hollins added 11 points and six assists for Minnesota (11-1), which dominated the glass 38-23 to help overcome a 38.3 percent shooting effort. The Gophers improved to 7-0 at home.

Lawrence Alexander scored 19 points and Taylor Braun had 15 for the Bison (8-3).

Hollins buried a pair of 3-pointers sandwiched around Mbakwe’s dunk to turn a three-point edge into a 37-26 lead at the break. Mbakwe and Williams scored all but two points during a 14-3 burst in the second half that stretched it out to 51-32 with 12:55 left.

North Dakota State would draw back within 11 points on Alexander’s three-point play with 6:13 left but Julian Welch hit a 3-pointer and Mbakwe completed a three-point play during a 10-4 run over the next 2:16 to put it away.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Minnesota improved to 27-1 all-time against the Bison, with the lone loss coming during the 1936-37 season. … Gophers coach Tubby Smith, who earned his 500th career win over the weekend, improved to 13-0 in his career against current members of the Summit League. … Marshall Bjorklund scored 12 points to join Braun and Alexander in double figures for North Dakota State. The rest of the team combined to go 4-for-20 from the field.
Top Game Performances
 
North Dakota State   Minnesota
Lawrence Alexander 19 Scoring Rodney Williams 19
Lawrence Alexander 6 Assists Andre Hollins 6
Marshall Bjorklund 6 Rebounds Trevor Mbakwe 18
Lawrence Alexander 5 Free Throws Made Trevor Mbakwe 4
TrayVonn Wright 3 Steals Rodney Williams 3
Marshall Bjorklund 1 Blocks Elliott Eliason 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
North Dakota State 57 42.0 7-20 8-12 12 23 5 8 14
Minnesota 70 38.3 7-18 17-22 14 38 4 11 11