• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Golden Gophers rout Ospreys

Dec 1, 2012 - 10:29 PM Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Rodney Williams Jr. had 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, leading the 21st-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers to an 87-59 victory over the North Florida Ospreys.

Austin Hollins added 12 points and six boards for the Golden Gophers (8-1), who have won four in a row. Joe Coleman and Trevor Mbakwe tallied 11 points apiece.

"I was just trying to play within the offense," Hollins said. "I got open a couple of times and I'm going to take the shot if I'm open, but I'm still going to look for my teammates at the same time."

Parker Smith ended with 22 points for the Ospreys (3-5), who had a brief two- game winning streak snapped. Travis Wallace donated 17 points and six rebounds.

Trailing 18-10 with less than 12 minutes left in the first half, Minnesota went on a 20-3 run to take the lead. Maurice Walker's free throw made it a 30-21 contest with about 3 1/2 minutes remaining.

North Florida responded with the next six points to make it a three-point game.

Mbakwe stopped the small run with five straight points. Oto Osenieks added a jumper to give the Golden Gophers a 37-27 margin at the break.

Holding a 44-33 edge early in the second half, Minnesota went on a 9-0 run to essentially put the game away. Coleman's three-point play made it 53-33 with over 14 minutes to play.

"We have very good players, and we have guys that understand our schemes," North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll said. "When we play the way we are supposed to play we are a very good team. I thought Minnesota did a good job getting us out of our rotations. They dictated the game, so that made it difficult."

Game Notes

Saturday's game marked the first meeting on the hardwood between the Golden Gophers and Ospreys ... Minnesota improved to 6-0 all-time versus current members of the Atlantic Sun Conference ... North Florida went 7-of-24 from beyond the arc ... Minnesota went 20-of-26 from the foul line.