Hollins Leads Minnesota Past Wake, 84-69
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) --€” Andre Hollins scored a season-high 27 points and Minnesota beat Wake Forest 84-69 on Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Hollins hit a career-high seven 3-pointers while Carlos Morris added 15 points and Joey King had 14 for the Golden Gophers (5-2).
They shot 49 percent, 57 percent in the second half and overcame a season-high-tying 20 turnovers by hitting a season-best 12 3-pointers.
Minnesota hit its first seven shots of the second half and spent most of the rest of the night protecting a double-figure lead.
Miles Overton had 14 points for the Demon Deacons (4-4).
They had 18 turnovers, shot 41 percent and — for the second straight game, both losses were unable to get top scorer Devin Thomas going.
Thomas entered averaging a team-best 11.7 points but was coming off a scoreless, 0-for-7 performance four nights earlier in a discouraging home loss to Delaware State. He finished this one with just four points 1-of-4 shooting.
At the other end of the floor, in the moments when the outcome was in doubt, Minnesota couldn't miss.
The Gophers opened the second half with 16-3 run that finally gave them some separation.
Hollins hit two 3s in about a minute, and King's wide-open 3 from the corner, his second during the burst stretched the lead to 48-34.
Hollins stretched the lead to 66-48 with another 3 with 8½ minutes to play, and Wake Forest didn't get closer than 12 after that.
Codi Miller-McIntyre and freshman Mitchell Wilbekin added 10 points apiece for the Demon Deacons, who erased their only double-figure deficit of the first half by reeling off nine straight points before the break. Miller-McIntyre's drive about a second before the buzzer pulled them to 32-31.
After that, it was all Minnesota.
TIP-INS
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons' most experienced players, Miller-McIntyre, Thomas and Madison Jones, combined for 10 turnovers. Wake Forest was just 18 of 31 from the free-throw line.
Minnesota: The Gophers attempted a season-high 24 3s. This was just their second trip to North Carolina for the Challenge and their first since 2001 when they lost at Wake Forest.
UP NEXT
Wake Forest plays its Atlantic Coast Conference opener at North Carolina State on Saturday night.
Minnesota is home against Western Carolina on Friday night.
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