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Gophers stay unbeaten, top North Dakota State

Nov 25, 2010 - 3:41 AM Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Blake Hoffarber scored a game-high 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting to pace No. 15 Minnesota to an 84-65 decision over North Dakota State.

Trevor Mbakwe chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds, and Colton Iverson added nine and 11 for the Gophers (6-0), who were coming off a Puerto Rico Tip-Off title.

Michael Tveidt and Drew Lundberg netted 14 and 11 points, respectively, to lead the Bison (3-2), who had won three in a row since a season-opening overtime loss at Oregon.

Minnesota scored the final 13 points of the first half to turn a three-point lead into a healthy halftime margin.

Taylor Braun drained a three-pointer to get NDSU within 29-26 with just over four minutes left, but the Bison went silent the rest of the stanza. The Gophers made 7-of-10 from the foul line during the subsequent flurry, and Hoffarber's bucket in the closing seconds made it a 42-26 game.

The Bison slowly chipped away at the deficit and trailed 50-44 following Lundberg's jumper with 12 1/2 minutes remaining.

Hoffarber answered with a make from long range, and Austin Hollins added a layup to push to cushion back to double digits near the midway point.

It was a 13-point contest, 69-56, before Mbakwe scored six quick points in a little under a minute, and the Bison never seriously challenged down the stretch.

Game Notes

This series dates back to the 1900-01 season, with Minnesota claiming victory in 25 of the 26 meetings...The Gophers are 68-1 all-time against current members of the Summit League...Freddy Coleman finished with eight points and nine rebounds for North Dakota State...Ralph Sampson III ended with nine points and three blocks for Minnesota.