Minnesota 109, Franklin Pierce 57: Andre Hollins had 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and teammate Carlos Morris led all scorers with 16 as the host Gophers led wire-to-wire in an easy victory over the Ravens in the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Joey King added 11 points and Minnesota improved to 2-1 by shooting 58.3 percent from the field. With a comfortable 55-31 lead at the half, coach Richard Pitino emptied his bench, getting all 12 players minutes as the Gophers won for the seventh time in the last eight games dating back to last season.

Tyler Iacuone had 11 points and Mike McDevitt added 10 as Franklin Pierce, a Division II program from Rindge, N.H., closed a brutal stretch that saw the Ravens (2-2) play four times in seven days, including two Division I opponents. Franklin Pierce struggled versus Pitino's relentless defense and shot 32.3 percent from the field.

A pair of 3-pointers - by Nate Mason and Morris in a span of 32 seconds - gave the Gophers a 40-15 lead with a little more than eight minutes left in the first half that demoralized the visitors. King scored seven points during a 9-2 run to start the second half as Minnesota pushed the lead to 64-33 with 18:08 remaining.

Mason got back into the act in the second half with less than six minutes remaining, draining two 3-pointers in 22 seconds, the latter which landed the Gophers at the 100-point mark for the first time in nearly 11 years. Mason, a freshman guard who finished with 15 points and five assists, was eight years old when Minnesota defeated Oral Roberts 100-80 on Dec. 12, 2003.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Pitino, who led the Gophers to an NIT title last season, improved to 27-14 at Minnesota. … A game after scoring 16 versus St. John's, Franklin Pierce's Paul Becklens posted just two points. ... Ravens reserve Lolami Lola-Charles was called for a technical foul.