Minnesota Tops Illinois 79-71
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) —Andre Hollins helped Minnesota pull away with 17 of his 28 points in the second half, fueling a 79-71 victory Saturday over Illinois.
Hollins finished 10 for 15 from the field, including 5 for 7 from 3-point range, and grabbed five rebounds for the Golden Gophers (13-8, 2-6 Big Ten). Carlos Morris had 13 of his 16 points in the first half, Mo Walker chipped in 12 points and 13 rebounds and Nate Mason added 10 points and six assists.
Hollins has 80 points in his last three games, an average of 26.7 points per contest.
Malcolm Hill and Kendrick Nunn each scored 18 points for the depleted Fighting Illini (13-8, 3-5), who played their third game in the last seven days. Jaylon Tate added 11 points and nine assists, but the Illini ran out of steam down the stretch with a rotation that's only seven deep right now.
This was only the third loss by the Illini in their last 14 visits to Williams Arena since 2000.
Gophers coach Richard Pitino put senior DeAndre Mathieu back in the starting lineup at point guard, returning the freshman Mason to a reserve role, but for Hollins his backcourt partner didn't matter. After a slump that stretched five games into Big Ten play, Hollins has rediscovered his confidence and his rhythm with the outside shot the Gophers need to be competitive for the rest of the conference schedule.
Hollins hit a 3-pointer with 64 seconds left before halftime to give the Gophers a 33-30 edge, and his momentum only gained from there. The 6-foot-2 Hollins soared to block Hill's attempt at a dunk from the low post with the Gophers leading by one, and a few minutes later he swished another one behind the arc to tie the game at 41.
Ahmad Starks hit an NBA-range 3-pointer to make the score 44-all, but then the Gophers pulled away for good with a 12-0 run that included a four-point play by Hollins when he knocked down a 3-point shot as he fell backward and drew the foul. Charles Buggs faked a pass underneath and delivered a vicious dunk during the spurt, too, as the crowd roared as loudly as it did all afternoon.
Until the Gophers started that surge, neither team led by more than four points. But there was Hollins hitting another 3-pointer with 5:56 left to put the Gophers up 61-46 and produce that familiar wide smile on the senior's face.
For good measure, Hollins drove into traffic in the lane with the shot clock nearly expired and squared up for a fall-away jumper as he drew a foul on Nunn with a little more than 3 minutes left. Hollins yelled toward Nunn as he sat on the court right after the whistle, apparently upset after being knocked over by Nunn earlier in that possession.
After missing 10 of 19 free throws Wednesday in a 52-49 loss at Nebraska, the Gophers were marginally better at the line, 22 for 29. They outrebounded the Illini 38-30.
TIP-INS
Illinois: The Illini suited up senior guard Ryan Schmidt for the first time, a depth-prompted move to reward the four-year manager and lifelong Illini fan for his dedication to the program. He didn't play. Three guards, seniors Tracy Abrams and Rayvonte Rice and junior Aaron Cosby, are out with injuries including Abrams for the whole season.
Minnesota: The Gophers retired the jersey of former star center Randy Breuer, the 7-foot-3 native of Lake City who helped lead the Gophers to the 1982 Big Ten title and went on to an 11-year career in the NBA. Breuer is third on the program's all-time scoring list. His No. 45 banner was unveiled, joining Lou Hudson, Charley Mencel, Trent Tucker, Whitey Skoog, Mychal Thompson, Kevin McHale, Jim Brewer and Dick Garmaker hanging from the rafters.
UP NEXT
Illinois hosts Penn State next Saturday, after six days off.
Minnesota also has Penn State on deck, with a road game Wednesday.
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